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The Center for Health Communication prepares public health leaders of all kinds to effectively communicate critical health information, influence policy decisions, counter misinformation, and increase the public’s trust in health expertise.

Creator resource: Connecting People to the Help They Need

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 12/20/24.

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:
Audience Call to Action:
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:
Audience Call to Action:
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:
Audience Call to Action:
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:
Hashtags:
  • #MentalHealthIsPhysicalHealth, #MentalHealthMatters, #HSPHCreatorsSummit

Additional resources