Research task shifting and youth as drivers of a more global mental health science

Abstract

One fundamental challenge that underlies the paucity of effective mental health-care provision in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) is the scarcity of contextually relevant, evidence-based research investigating aetiology, epidemiology, and interventions of mental health problems.1,2 Across the field of global mental health, a wide gap exists in research between LMICs compared with high-income countries, fuelled by a lack of research capacity and funding.3 Policy makers in LMICs respond best to locally developed research where researchers engage early and continuously on research design, implementation, and dissemination, and any such research and interventions are also likely to be more effective with appropriate consideration of local contexts.