Global Mental Health Unboxed #23
Your monthly newsletter for all things global mental health
12 June 2025
Dear readers,
Welcome to another edition of the newsletter serving you events, resources, publications, news and job ads on global mental health. Our field is showing its resilience and strength in the face of difficult circumstances - I hope this translates also to the people we’re working to help all over the world. It’s a tough time to be working in global health, but also a time that will shape the opportunities ahead of us. This newsletter will continue to bring them to you, and if you have any you wish to share, please write to me at manolova.gergana@gmail.com. Together we will get through and get better.
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Yours,
Gergana
News and Notes in Global Mental Health
Here I share interesting pieces of information, announcements and news that have reached me in our field. I rely on your contributions as well - please share your news or announcements with me.
Saks Foundation funding mental health in US
The stated mission of the Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation is to make mental health a priority in every community, and have pledged to support ten US-based, local organizations serving the mental health of those in need - for the fourth year running. To learn more, visit the page with the application form and submit by 1 July 2025.
The Pune centre for Mental Health Law & Policy is taking applications
Until 31 August 2025, you can apply for the Postgraduate Diploma in International Mental Health, Law, Policy & Rights-based Services - a year-long course which looks closely how the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) relates to mental health. The diploma is aimed at professionals, especially those looking to convert it to advocacy, leadership or intervention design, and there is a sliding scale of fees depending where you are based. Learn more at the website.
Report on alternatives to coercion from WPA
Speaking of the UN CRPD, the report from the World Psychiatric Association of their consultation on implementing alternatives to coercion - a topic which is key to deinstitutionalization as well, I think. The experiences of people with mental health conditions who have been subject to coercion make for a sobering read for anyone who believes we have moved beyond coercion in mental health systems. The details about the status quo are fascinating and deserve thorough attention.
Reduction in development aid from the UK permanent
According to the UK development minister, the latest reduction in the aid budget, which affects also many global mental health initiatives, should be considered permanent. The UK had at one time a legal commitment to 0.7% of GDP for aid, but this was revised down to 0.5% and in February 2025 further revised down to 0.3%. In her comments, the minister says that this is not funding considered going back up to before after a year or two, but a “new normal”.
Events in Global Mental Health
The event calendar for 2025 is at globallyminded.org. Keep in mind that events may be announced shortly before they take place and I publish them on the website with only 2-3 days’ notice. I only publish some spotlights here.
26 June — To be (t)here? Reimagining Mental Healthcare Across Borders by the European Federation for Psychologists’ Association
An interesting topic by the premier European organization for psychologists, this is something that’s been on my mind for a while: what happens when you’re living in another country, but find yourself needing or wanting therapy rooted in your native language or culture? I like the formulation of “the transnational digital therapy room” and have to say I see settings in which it is easier for a migrant to access therapy in their native country living abroad. This lays bare the weaknesses in mental healthcare systems and raises interesting questions about ethics, governance, access, support and determinants.
16, 18, 20 June — Improving Mental Health Care in the Global South by the Network of Engaged International Donors
This online conference spread over 3 days gathers a star cast of non-governmental and advocacy organizations as well as funders and those working on various global mental health aspects to discuss working in the global South (hope there will be a definition of the term as well). Participants, who can choose whether to contribute financially at registration, will get to hear from organizations working on the ground as well. I’m curious if the format will make it easier to digest the information and perspectives, as I often find packed agendas overwhelming, but in any case the agenda is timely and interesting.
Jobs and Opportunities in Global Mental Health
The jobs and opportunities listed here might not be advertised as being in global mental health and the decision for including them is mine alone. Unless otherwise stated, I have found out about them through job sites, social media posts, other newsletters and so on, so I have no more information on them than publicly available and you should refer to those listed in the job ad.
No or minimum experience necessary
Policy Intern at HopeLab, remote (US only) - by 15th June
Some experience (2-5 years) necessary
Project Officer at Mental Health Europe, Belgium - by 11th June
Communications Officer in United for Global Mental Health - by 15th June
Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Strategy Development Consultant at Médecins Sans Frontières, Netherlands - by 20th June
Lecturer in Global Health & Social Medicine at King’s College London, UK - by 29th June
Research Assistant at King’s College London, UK - by 27th June
Communications Manager in the ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health, UK - by 30th June 2025
Programme Associate (HRR/MHPSS) at IOM, Chad
5+ years of experience necessary
Departmental Lecturer at University of Oxford, UK - by 13th June
Senior Lecturer in Global Mental Health Science and Practice at University of Glasgow, Scotland - by 21st July
Resources in Global Mental Health
A section for various resources, databanks, information sources that may prove helpful.
Digital learning is here to stay and the unparalleled equity of access is a clear advantage for the global mental health field. For those organizations just setting out to incorporate digital training for MHPSS, the guide for design and implementation of e-learning for mental health and psychosocial support by The MHPSS Collaborative is a brief and clear resource on how to conceptualize your learning materials and will make it easier for you to build for success. The guide is also available in Arabic.
Educating medical and nursing students to provide mental health, neurological and substance use care: a practical guide for pre-service education by WHO - it’s a time of field-changing publications by WHO and I can see this being used for many years going forward. Doing in-service training on MNS conditions, such as on mhGAP, is resource-intensive and I’ve seen and read about the strong pushback from authorities and healthcare providers that it takes time off their work which they cannot afford given their workloads. Incorporating this knowledge and skills training in pre-service education - in other words, while training to become doctors and nurses - is a simple concept for which the time is ripe. This guide, based on a competency framework, is a step-by-step manual on putting this into practice.
Publications in Global Mental Health
The selection of publications ultimately reflects my personal knowledge and preferences, but I have no intended bias. Feel free to send me publications you consider interesting or that you would like to be featured. I try to focus on articles that are free or open access.
We all know about the social determinants of health, and we’ve all talked about how they relate to our mental health. It is useful to make this overarching issue into something more specific and actionable - such as the commercial determinants of mental health. This means the drivers of mental ill health in our market-based world: what is broken, what is breaking us, and what helps. And, just as importantly, informs us where we need to apply leverage to shift things into a better world.
Here are three thought-provoking reads:
The topic as developed by the UK Centre for Mental Health and supported by a wealth of UK evidence and examples - I especially like the “industry tactics” sections on how industries producing harmful products normalize and advertise their products to “further damage mental health by framing the product-related harm as the responsibility of individuals who, they suggest, should be counting and controlling their calories, alcoholic units, carbon etc. and not ‘misusing’ their products (Maani, Petticrew and Galea, 2023)”. The evidence may be from the UK but we see similar tactics deployed everywhere.
The research as presented by Cambpell et al. (2024) in an umbrella review of 65 reviews - aside from the impressive and mounting evidence against commercial determinants such as tobacco, alcohol, ultra-processed foods, gambling and air pollution/fossil fuels, the review is also notable by its limitations - some obvious outcomes such as addiction and obesity were not included due to the methodological difficulties of going through unrelated evidence; the review was limited to six key industries; newer primary research not included in reviews was not covered (eliminating possibly a lot of the latest post-pandemic research). LMICs were included in the review, so it has certain global validity. If you only read one thing, make it the conclusion.
The discussion provided by Bhugra and Ventriglio (2023) in their editorial which concerns the interactions of industries, governments and consumers, the tactics employed by corporations in advertising, and how responsibility is shifted onto the end consumer. The authors also highlight what should be done - educate clinicians, educate patients, educate the public and push back against industries, closing loopholes.
Something for your mental health
Starting a new corner to share something satisfying, funny or enriching that can enhance your experience of daily life and through this, your mental health.
Saveur - my favourite website for culinary things, it contains not only recipes, but also reporting from the cuisines of the world, descriptions of places, technologies, and people that make our senses of smell, taste and touch come alive. The pictures and illustrations alone will tempt you to try some of the recipes, or the culture features.
Thank you for reading this month’s newsletter. I will publish the next edition in July 2025 and in the meantime will keep updating my website when I find the time. If you have ideas, suggestions, or just want to say hi (the best thing!), you can leave me a comment or write an email - my address is above in the introduction.