The Invisibility of Mental Health

            A few weeks ago, we discussed mental health.  According to The World Health Organization, more than 450 million people worldwide suffer from mental disorders (WHO, 2010).  Unfortunately, this is a topic that does not get as much attention in comparison to other global issues such as HIV/AIDS and malaria.  Part of this problem is the stigma associated with mental disorders; in the United Kingdom, 70% of people affected by mental illness experience discrimination (Chambers, 2010).  Another problem is that it is difficult to generate empathy given that the external symptoms aren’t as obvious as those from physical illnesses.  Market research shows that people will donate about twice as much if they can emphasize with a picture as opposed to statistics; therefore just stating how many people suffer from a mental illness is not as effective in raising funds as showing a photo of an individual suffering from starvation (Heath, 2007).  This makes it difficult for organizations to raise funds to help raise awareness for treatment.  An additional barrier to treatment is that many cultures still regard mental illness as a punishment from whichever religious deity they believe in.  Therefore, when people do seek treatment, it is delivered by a local healer and is interpreted as a misfortune or a curse (Chambers, 2010).  This lack of treatment and misinterpretation opens those with mental illnesses up to abuse and human rights violations.

            While it seems that raising awareness and funds to combat this global issue is a daunting uphill battle, there is hope.  Vikram Patel, the co-director of the Centre for Global Mental Health and co-founder of an NGO dedicated to mental health (Sangath), describes a different approach to treating mental health illnesses.  He suggests training those who are available, such as local nurses or even family members, to provide mental health interventions.  He outlines his idea in a TED talk (link at the bottom of the page).  If you think about it, training community members to assist other community members is a great idea.  For one thing, it is sustainable provided that the resources (training guides, etc.) were readily available and the training done properly in the first place.  Also, if more people understand mental health issues, it might decrease the stigma and misconceptions that surround them.  People will not be as fearful to seek treatment, and when that treatment is provided, it will be effective.  Programs that utilize this idea support these notions.  In rural Uganda, villagers were taught to deliver psychotherapy to treat depression.  It was found that 90% of those who received the treatment recovered.  Patel himself did a study comparing those treated by lay counselors for anxiety and depression had a 70% recovery rate compared to only a 50% recovery rate of those who were treated at a primary healthcare center.  Perhaps one reason that the community based interventions are so effective is that patients already know the person treating them, which helps them trust and better engage in therapy sessions. 

            This new approach is definitely something to consider, and raising awareness for this type of intervention is one way that we can help reduce the problem of mental illness.

TED talk: http://blog.ted.com/2012/09/11/some-stats-on-the-devastating-impact-of-mental-illness-worldwide-followed-by-some-reasons-for-hope/

Chambers, Andrew. (2010). “Mental Illness and the Developing World”. The Guardian.    Retrieved 

November 17, 2013, from http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/may/10/mental-illness-developing-world

Heath, C., & Heath, D. (2007). Made to stick: Why some ideas survive and others die. New          York: Random House.

The World Health Organization. (2010). “Mental Health: Strengthening Our Response.”   Retrieved November 17, 2013, from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs220/en/.