Global Mental Health: The View from Social Medicine and Medical Anthropology

Abstract

Background: This article explores the interplay between social medicine and medical anthropology in shaping global mental health perspectives. Methods: In this review, the author has reviewed pertinent topics about the interplay between social medicine and medical anthropology as reflected in his professional work presented in a 2023 special issue of Daedalus and a special lecture delivered to the Taiwanese Society of Psychiatry in June 2024. Results: How societal factors such as economic disparity, gender norms, ethnic conflicts, and global cultural shifts significantly influence mental health outcomes are highlighted. The discussion extends to the mental health repercussions of COVID-19 pandemic, the implications of aging populations, and the growing prevalence of dementia. In addition, the article critiques current mental health strategies, advocating for a broader approach that integrates social, cultural, and economic interventions. The role of community-based care is emphasized, with a particular focus on the effectiveness of community health workers in delivering mental health services. This piece calls for a reevaluation of psychiatric practices to more comprehensively address the complexities of global mental health, urging a move toward structurally and culturally sensitive care solutions. Conclusion: Psychiatry needs to change and will change, owing to global forces and new research that are creating a different kind of mental health-care system for the future.

Keywords

• community mental health-care workers; cultural impact on health; mental health disparities; structurally and culturally sensitive care