Creator resource: Connecting People to the Help They Need
The Center for Health Communication works to create toolkits and briefings that help content creators spread evidence-based health information on social media. The information provided is meant to be educational and is not a substitute for medical advice. This page was last updated on 11/21/24.
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chc@hsph.harvard.edu
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Key statistics
- 50% of people live in areas with less than 1 psychiatrist per 100K people
- 90% of people who need mental health care in developing countries lack access
- 3rd leading cause of disability around the world is depression
- Only 2% of countries’ health budgets are spent on mental health
Understand the research
Mental health is a human right, yet access to care is limited
- Many primary health care systems aren’t equipped to provide mental health care.
- Stigma, discrimination, coercive practices by health providers, and low levels of mental health literacy prevent people from seeking care.
- Tailoring mental health care to each person and each context is crucial.
Content resources:
- Moitra et al | The global gap in treatment coverage for major depressive disorder in 84 countries from 2000-2019 | PLoS Medicine, 2022
- WHO Mental Health Fact Sheet | Data on prevalence of major disorders worldwide
- WHO Mental Health ATLAS | Data on mental health care and support
Audience Call to Action:
- Share Project Healthy Minds resources
- Share The Children’s Room | Grief Resources
Hashtags:
- #MentalHealthMatters, #EndTheStigma, #HSPHCreatorsSummit
Training community health workers to deliver mental health is crucial
- Harvard Chan researchers have demonstrated that training non-specialists & community members to deliver basic mental health care could help fill the mental health care gap.
- This approach, known as “task sharing,” is particularly promising for rural & underserved areas worldwide.
- Project EMPOWER is building a digital platform to train a million frontline workers to deliver evidence-based mental health care in the next five years.
Content resources:
- Siddiqui et al| Scaling up community-delivered mental health support and care: a landscape analysis | Frontiers in Public Health, 2022
- Project EMPOWER | Harvard Chan initiative to expand training for providers.
Audience Call to Action:
- Watch Vikram Patel’s TED Talk | Leading expert on global mental health talks about the Project EMPOWER model
- Sign up for Global Mental Health newsletter | Latest in efforts to transform mental health care globally
Hashtags:
- #MentalHealthAdvocate, #MentalHealthSupport, #HSPHCreatorsSummit
Mental health apps hold promise in scaling care
- Some apps have been proven effective in clinical trials, yet public adoption remains low, suggesting that people prefer a human connection.
- Advances in generative AI could improve the user experience and spur new interest.
- But ethical and legal questions about generative AI for mental health should not be left to corporations; they require urgent public scrutiny.
Content resources:
- Automating Mental Health Report | Examination of mental health apps, AI, and other digital practices in mental health and crisis support
- AI-based and digital mental health apps: Balancing the need and risk | IEEE Technology and Society, 2023
- Human-AI collaboration enables more empathetic conversations in text-based peer-to-peer mental health support | Nature Machine Intelligence, 2023
Audience Call to Action:
- Share Automating Mental Health Recommendations | 11 recommendations emerging from that report
Hashtags:
- #EthicalAI, #HSPHCreatorsSummit
Investing in mental health not only improves the health of the population, but also stimulates economic development
- Every US $1 invested in scaling up treatment for depression and anxiety leads to a return of US $4 in better health and ability to work, according to a 2016 World Health Organization analysis.
- Training and research partnerships between organizations in low-resource context and privileged institutions (such as Harvard) can inform policies and practices for mental health care everywhere.
- Comprehensive policy solutions to expand access to prevention and care are crucial.
- Policy solutions to complex challenges like the climate crisis must take into account both mental and physical health.
Content resources:
- Chisholm et al | Scaling-up treatment of depression and anxiety: a global return-on-investment analysis | Lancet Psychiatry
- WHO Mental Health ATLAS | Data on mental health care and support
- WHO World Mental Health report | How we might strengthen the systems that care for mental health
Hashtags:
- #MentalHealthIsPhysicalHealth, #MentalHealthMatters, #HSPHCreatorsSummit
Additional resources
- Mental health and access to care in rural America | National Alliance on Mental Illness
- Best practices and recommendations for talking about suicide | Reporting on Suicide
- Find support for yourself or those who may be at risk for suicide |AFSP Suicide Prevention
- Find resources to improve your mental wellness | Project Healthy Minds for Harvard Chan