Diversity in Global Mental Health: Gender, Lifespan, Access to Care, Treatment and Social Strata

Mental illness occurs in all communities, regardless of social status, gender, race, or culture. Despite this, research in mental health historically has been biased towards Western-centric heterosexual male models of disease. Many models of service have excluded sexual and ethnic minorities and may not have been inclusive of different cultures or spiritual approaches. All of these factors may in turn isolate these communities and thus lead to an increased vulnerability to disease. This brief explores the diversity of cultural, ethnic, social, and gender perspectives on how to achieve better mental health care for societies across the globe. The authors emphasize diversity focusing on lifespan aspects, while weaving in social, racial, ethnic, cultural, and gender perspectives. They further expand their analysis by zeroing in on prominent determinants in global mental health care, including globalization, international migration, specific population idiosyncrasies, climate change, and political context. Finally, it includes novel neurobiological and biomedical approaches to treatment, and a suggestions of how those can be implemented from the perspective of diversity and gender inclusiveness. Diversity in Global Mental Health will be of great interest to experts and researchers in behavioral medicine, as well as practitioners and educators working in global mental health promotion and prevention of mental illness and related fields such as psychology, social policy, and public health.