Cochrane Global Mental Health (GMH) is a scientific network formally launched in 2017 by Cochrane, a global independent network of researchers, professionals, patients, carers, and people interested in health. The aim of Cochrane GMH is to collect and summarize scientific evidence relevant to the care of people with mental health conditions living in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), and to support its dissemination, implementation, and use. Cochrane GMH is a satellite of the five Cochrane groups working on mental health: Schizophrenia; Common Mental Disorders; Dementia and Cognitive Improvement; Developmental, Psychosocial and Learning Problems; and Drugs and Alcohol. Additionally, Cochrane GMH includes an Advisory Board of international experts working in LMICs with in-depth expertise in mental health and services research, that provides inputs and support in terms of knowledge, strategic thinking, quality improvement and overall vision.
Cochrane GMH will actively involve professionals working in LMICs, with an exchange attitude and a mutual learning approach between mental health workers in different parts of the world.
Cochrane GMH’s scope is threefold
- production and maintenance of systematic reviews with a focus on questions specifically relevant to mental health applicable everywhere;
- dissemination, implementation and use of systematic reviews in LMICs; and
- information, communication, and training activities on evidence synthesis, evidence-based guidelines development and implementation relevant to mental health, particularly in LMICs.
Mission
The mission is to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and experiences to produce and implement systematic reviews for optimising mental health promotion, prevention and treatment interventions everywhere.
Cochrane GMH activities will focus on the evidence base with a pragmatic attitude, including approaches that are culturally appropriate, such as traditional, complementary and alternative medicine. It will collect and review the best evidence relevant not only to interventions that fit with a biomedical model or a psycho-social construct, but also relevant to promotion and prevention public health approaches. Examples of target interventions include treatments of specific mental health conditions as well as preventive strategies and interventions to promote psychological wellbeing.
Cochrane GMH is based at the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Mental Health and Service Evaluation (WHO CC) of the University of Verona, Italy, and coordinated by Corrado Barbui, Director of WHO CC, and Marianna Purgato, researcher affiliated with the WHO CC.
Cochrane GMH is a unique initiative in health care. All those interested to be involved in reviews as authors, review advisory group members, peer-reviewers, editors and users are invited to visit the Cochrane GMH website, and to email the coordinators. We are keen to have a strong contribution in the work of Cochrane GMH from LMICs.
