Global Mental Health

The Beautiful Mind: Global Mental Health

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We will discuss the concept of culture and its importance to look further than just diagnostic criteria for mental health illness.

Course description

How do Chile and Egypt compare in terms of their treatment options for anxiety? How do refugees access mental health systems in host countries? What is normal in relation to mental health, and does normal even exist? We invite students to explore questions such as these and travel with us “down the rabbit hole” of global mental health. This course will offer a broad perspective on mental health through discussions of the most prevalent and impactful mental health disorders around the world and the complexity of mental health as a public health issue.

This course will begin with an introduction to global mental health followed by in-depth lectures and workshops on history and trends in global mental health, including the importance of cultural sensitivity and systems thinking. Students will work together in groups to use this newly acquired knowledge to debate the ambiguity of mental health and to compare treatment options of a specific mental health issue in two different countries.

You can download the preliminary course syllabus for 2024 here.

Continue reading below for more information.

Summer courses

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Course level

Beginner / Advanced / Master

Credits

3 ECTS

Contact hours

Language

English

Tuition fee

€735 - €1310

Learning objectives

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
• Describe the history and current trends in global mental health

• Explore the contextual, structural, and individual factors and inherent ambiguity that influences mental health status and service provision

• Critically assess and debate the complexity and ambiguity of mental health problems

• Take an interdisciplinary approach to the issues of mental health and gain insight into how mental health is connected to other health-related problems

• Critically contrast and compare approaches to a specific mental health topic in different countries

• Meet and work together with peers from various countries and backgroundsHave basic knowledge about the mental health organisation (from diagnosis to rehabilitation)
Course Syllabus

Here you can download the preliminary course syllabus for the summer course 2024.
^{*Please note that this is a preliminary syllabus and that it still might be subject to change.}
About the course coordinator

Aniek Woodward is an experienced researcher in the field of global health, with expertise in health systems, qualitative research, vulnerable populations, and scaling up health innovations. Aniek holds a master’s degree in international public health and is finalising her Ph.D. in global health, where she focused on understanding the potential for scaling up psychological interventions for refugees. Currently, she works as a Postdoctoral fellow at VU Amsterdam, involving teaching and research. As part of the NATURELAB project, she explores stakeholder perspectives on nature-based therapies. Additionally, Aniek works as a Research Associate for KIT Royal Tropical Institute and Distance learning tutor for the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Previously, she worked as a consultant on various research projects, including for KIT Royal Tropical Institute, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, King’s College London, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, and the World Health Organization