Global Mental Health Task Force

The Global Mental Health (GMH) Task Force is focused on promoting positive mental health and well-being for all. We are committed to an equitable, holistic, inclusive, and respectful approach in our practice, research, education, advocacy, and policy efforts. Working from a human rights and community-based lens, the GMH Task Force endeavors to improve the health and well-being of individuals across the lifespan by ensuring mental health and behavioral health issues are at the forefront in domestic and global health equity work.

If you have questions regarding the task force, please contact us at gro.e1751134511citsu1751134511jhb@e1751134511crofk1751134511sat1751134511.

In the Works

Currently the Task Force is developing a listen and learn series for committee members. This series is grounded in the themes of a recent publication of the committee, Reconceptualizing the Mental Health Workforce: A Principle-based White Paper with Strategies for Operationalization. The White Paper explores key questions and strategies across the global mental health workforce. The objectives of the series are to:

• Learn about the continuum of roles that define the mental health workforce;
• Examine how communities that have invested in these strategies over time are navigating today’s domestic and global instability;
• Identify how to build and leverage community engagement to expand and support the mental health workforce; and
• Identify and learn about global strategies and resources that are transferable, replicable, and sustainable to transform the mental health workforce.

What We’ve Worked On

In 2021, the task force developed Guidelines for Conducting Global Research: Global Alliance Perspective. Emphasizing community collaborations that are ethical, sustainable, and culturally appropriate, this set of guidelines is designed for researchers interested in conducting global research to review before engaging in research activities with low, middle, and high-resourced communities.

Other past work tends to fall in five primary categories:

Global Engagement and Advocacy

The GMH Task Force has sought to increase the Global Alliance’s visibility and enhance our leadership in the mental health and social justice movement, through successful engagement with the United Nations and UN agencies, in partnerships with civil society groups and coalitions, and in collaboration with allied domestic and global human rights and social justice organizations and working groups. 

Global Mental Health Equity

Much of the GMH Task Force’s past efforts have been dedicated to raising awareness of mental healthcare as a human right and promoting equity in global mental health. Highlights of this work include:           

• Blog post: Don’t Forget About Mental Health: Broadening Our Approach to Emergency Preparedness (May 2022)
• GA Official Statement: Virtual Stakeholder Listening Session in preparation for the 75th World Health Assembly (May 2022)

• Blog post: UN High-Level Meeting HIV/AIDS Integrating Mental Health is Critical to Overcoming Inequities and Ending AIDS (August 2021)
• Blog post: Breaking Down GA Positions at 74^th WHA-USDHHS Stakeholder Listening Session (July 2021)
• GA Official Statement: WHO 74th World Health Assembly Stakeholder Listening Session (June 2021)
• Global Mental Health Task Force Recommendations for the New Administration (2021)
• Global Mental Health: A Call to Action (2019)
• Challenges and Opportunities in Promoting Global Mental Health Equity – presented at Coming Together for Action Conference 2018, Denver, Colorado, October 2018

Universal Health Coverage

The GMH Task Force also has advocated (and continues to advocate) for the inclusion of mental health in universal health coverage (UHC). Highlights of this advocacy include:

• GA Statement: UN High Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage (September 2019)
• Resolution on the Inclusion of Mental Health in Universal Health Coverage (September 2019)
• Blog post: GA at the UN: UHC (September 2019)
• Blog post: GA at the UN: Turning the Tables (September 2019)

Creating a Healthy Nation

Frequently, our efforts are focused on cultivating mental health and promoting mental healthcare on a national level in the U.S. Some of our U.S.-related work includes: 

• The Healthy People 2030 Working Group focused on preparing recommendations for improving indicators of health, as measured by the CDC’s Healthy People initiative. Recognizing that most current indicators highlight physical aspects of health, with little focus on behavioral health and well-being, this work concentrated on further developing Healthy People indicators that reflect well-being, from a social justice lens, to promote a holistic and accurate measurement of overall health. This working group presented at Coming Together for Action 2024.
• White Paper: Reconceptualizing the Mental Health Workforce: A Principle-based White Paper with Strategies for Operationalization (June 2022)

• AJO Editorial: Establishing a path to unity: Recommendations for the Biden/Harris administration (2021)
• Creating a Healthy Nation: Beyond the Lancet Report on Global Mental Health and Sustainable Development – presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, November 2-6, 2019.

Student Mental Health

The GMH Task Force focuses on supporting the mental health of students. Some highlights of our work centered on fostering student well-being include:

• Policy Brief: Impact of COVID-19 on College Students’ Mental Health (October 2020)
• Blog post: Graduate Student Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic (August 2020)
• GMH In Action Student Global Colleagues Meeting (July 3, 2020) – International group of graduate students took part in panels focused on how the pandemic has impacted the mental health of graduate students, Graduate students discussed their shared experiences of responding to both pandemic and academic-related stress, what types of assistance and resources are currently missing, and how to better support students during this time. This discussion helped inform our policy brief (above).
• GMH In Action Faculty Global Colleagues Meeting (July 2, 2020) – International group of faculty members participated listening session/discussion? focusing on how the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has affected students and student performance, and how to better support students within academic settings. This discussion helped inform our policy brief (above).

related research

American Journal of Orthopsychiatry

Global Mental Health Research