About the Collaborative Hubs for International Research in Mental Health
The proportion of people who need, but do not receive care—the mental health treatment gap—is exacerbated by the dearth of health care workers available to provide evidence-based mental health services that meet minimum standards. Although a growing evidence base for reducing the treatment gap exists for higher income countries like the United States, far less research has been conducted in countries identified by the World Bank as low- and middle-income (LMICs); yet approximately 85% of the world’s population resides in these settings, which face special human resource challenges. Evidence suggests that the majority of 58 LMICs have limitations in a number of mental health specialties: 67% showed a shortage of psychiatrists, 95% a shortage of nurses and 79% a shortage of psychological care providers.