Hvem arbejder med global mental sundhed i Danmark?

Previously under-funded and overlooked, the concept of Global Mental Health has recently been prioritized as a sub-theme in the United Nations post-2015 development agenda (running towards 2030).

Hence this seminar initiated by Copenhagen School of Global Health, titled: “Who works on Global Mental Health in Denmark? – An exploratory stakeholder seminar” 

The building is situated at the corner of Gammeltoftegade and Farimagsgade.

The seminar is conducted in English. Admission free.

If you would like to attend this seminar, we kindly ask you to register at the latest on Monday 12 October by sending an email to [email protected]

Please state your name, the institution you represent and note which workshop you would like to attend: “Mental Health Promotion”, “Prevention” or “Treatment”.

Background

While this increased attention at the political level concerning the concept of Global Mental Health is indeed timely, much is lacking in terms of concrete policies, action plans and resources.

Global Mental Health can be fairly labeled a neglected health topic.

Already in 2001, Gro Harlem Bruntland, then Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the WHO Report 2001 predicted that “within the next 20 years, depression will have the dubious distinction of becoming the second cause of the global disease burden”.

Today, WHO estimates that mental and substance use disorders directly account for around seven per cent of the global disease burden.

Conditions that bring grave implications on the quality of life for the affected and their surroundings as well as posing serious challenges to already strained health care systems.

In low and middle-income countries mental health is often worsened or triggered by already stressful and challenging life-situations, which can be due to poverty, physical health issues and sometimes in the wake of disasters, making prevention and response highly complex and multifaceted.

Why this seminar?

While focus and resources remain scarce for mental health in the international development agenda, international or transnational coordinated efforts are even scarcer. The objective is to kick-start the debate on this lack of response and to hopefully gather concrete tools for advancing the agenda.

As part of this exercise we will map stakeholders in Denmark – NGOs, policy makers, academics, journalists, health professionals, students and others – with a Global Mental Health focus as (part of) their agenda.

In doing so, we hope to provide a starting point for strengthening and establishing new avenues of collaboration and move forward in increasing awareness about the topic in Denmark and beyond.

PROGRAMME

09.30 – 09.55 Welcome and Introduction by Ib C. Bygbjerg, Professor, MD, DSCiMed, Head of Studies and Course Leader at the Copenhagen School of Global Health.

09.55 – 10.20 Mental Health in Ethiopia – Building Capacity by Markos Tesfaye, Consultant Psychiatrist, Jimma University Specialized Hospital, Ethiopia.

10.20 – 10.45 Social Determinants of Mental Health by Jane Brandt Sørensen, Ph.D. student, Section of Global Health, University of Copenhagen.

10.45 – 11.00 Q&A

11.00 – 11.15 Break

11.15 – 11.40 Advocating for Mental Health & Influencing Policy by Knud Kristensen, President of Landsforeningen SIND

11.40 – 12.05 A Global Perspective on Mental Health – From Burden to Empowerment by Jens Peter Eckardt, Chief Analyst at Bedre Psykiatri

12.05 – 12.30 Q&A

12.30 – 13.30 Lunch

13.30 – 14.45 Workshop
• Health Promotion
• Prevention
• Treatment

14.45 – 15.00 Break

15.00 – 16.00 Plenary Session: Discussion of workshop content, what we learned today and concrete ideas of action.

16.00 – 17.00 Reception hosted by University of Copenhagen’s School of Global Health

HUSK at du indtil videre kan se hele månedsoversigten over arrangementer på http://u-landsnyt.dk/kalender