ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a brief background of the limited resources available for mental health services globally. It begins with a focus on low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and emergency settings where the prevalence of mental health conditions is highest and the need for quality services is greatest. The chapter discusses the need for social interventions that are developed within, and draw upon, local contexts, as a “missing link” in global mental health research. It also provides a case exemplar from Sierra Leone where a practice research methodology was used to co-produce a mental health social intervention for nurses during the Ebola outbreak. Mental health conditions are prevalent in all regions of the world and are major contributors to morbidity and premature mortality. The poor infrastructure of mental health services in LMICs is the backdrop to the treatment gap with regard to the limited human and financial resources currently available.
