Foundations of Global Mental Health

The course is an introduction to the field of global mental health. The curriculum is primarily informed by the Lancet Commission on Global Mental Health & Sustainable Development (2018) (https://www.thelancet.com/commissions/global-mental-health) which proposed a re-framing of mental health in three key ways: adopting a dimensional approach to mental health; recognizing the convergence of social and biological determinants in the emergence of mental health problems; and realizing a rights based approach to mental health. The curriculum also curates the key messages from the World Mental Health Report published by World Health Organization in 2022 (https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240049338). The course takes a life course approach and focuses on determinants and risk factors for mental health within a public health framework. Besides the two instructors, who were the lead editors of the Commission, the course includes a selection of leading experts as guest instructors for specific sessions. Along with GHP 208 Global Mental Health Delivery: From Research to Practice, offered in Spring 2, this course forms the core of the interdisciplinary concentration in Population Mental Health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/population-mental-health/). This course is cross-listed at Harvard Medical School. Course Requirements: Students outside of HSPH must request instructor permission to enroll in this course. Jointly Offered with:Harvard Medical School as SM 519