Skip to main content

Global Mental Health and Psychiatry Education

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Innovations in Global Mental Health

Abstract

This chapter will examine why mental health education and training should be the business of every health professional and why psychiatric training should undergo curriculum revision. With the advent of online technology, there is a real opportunity to access education and training delivered by expert educators at home or in clinics in different parts of the world. This chapter will examine the features, advantages, and challenges associated with online psychiatric education. While online learning seems to be a good solution to enhancing dissemination of knowledge and skills, easy access to training and education materials does not necessarily guarantee the quality or appropriateness of the student experience or learning acquired. Local, regional, and national psychiatric societies should play a strategic role in steering the future direction of psychiatric training and setting quality standards of training commensurate with local resources and cultures.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Adhikari A, Dutta A, Sapkota S, Chapagain A, Aryal A, Pradhan A. Prevalence of poor mental health among medical students in Nepal: a cross-sectional study. BMC Med Educ. 2017;17(1):232.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Baessler F, Riese F, Pinto da Costa M, De Picker L, Kazakova O, Kanellopoulos A, Grassl R, Gargot T, Casanova Dias M. Becoming a psychiatrist in Europe: the title is recognized across the European Union, but what are the differences in training, salary and working hours? World Psychiatry. 2015;14:372–3.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Bateman C, Baker T, Hoornenborg E, Ericsson U. Bringing global issues to medical teaching. Lancet. 2001;358:1539–42.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Beezhold B, Bendi N, Pinto da Costa M. Managing difficult people in the workplace, Chapter 6. In: Fiorillo A, Volpe U, Bhugra D, editors. Psychiatry in practice. 1st ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2016.

    Google Scholar 

  • Benbassat J, Baumal R, Borkan JM, Ber R. Overcoming barriers to teaching the behavioral and social sciences to medical students. Acad Med. 2003;78:372–80.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bhugra D, Ventriglio A, Castaldelli-Maia J, Ryland H, Wilkes C et al. WPA position statement on roles and responsibilities of the psychiatrist of the 21st century. World Psychiatric Association; 2017.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bhugra D, Tasman A, Pathare S, Priebe S, Smith S, Torous J, et al. The WPA-Lancet psychiatry commission on the future of psychiatry. Lancet Psychiatry. 2018;4:775–818.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bombeke K, Symons L, Debaene L, Winter BD, Schol S, Royen PV. Help, I’m losing patient-centredness! Experiences of medical students and their teachers. Med Educ. 2010;44:662–73.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brittlebank A, Hermans M, Bhugra D, Pinto da Costa M, Rojnic-Kuzman M, Fiorillo A, Kurimay T, et al. Training in psychiatry throughout Europe. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2016;266:155–64.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Carney S. Mind and body: training the next generation. In: King’s health partners. London: An Academic Health Science Centre; 2016. https://www.kingshealthpartners.org/latest/736-mind-and-body-training-the-next-generation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Casanova Dias M, Orlova M, Pinto da Costa M. Training abroad? Not so difficult. Lancet Glob Health. 2013;1:e136.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chur-Hansen A, Carr JE, Bundy C. An international perspective on behavioral science education in medical schools. J Clin Psychol Med Settings. 2008;15:45–53.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Committee on Prevention of Student Suicides submits final report to SED. In: Press releases. The Government of the HKSAR. 2016. http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201611/07/P2016110700281.htm?fontSize=1. Accessed 31 July 2018.

  • Dixson MD. Creating effective student engagement in online courses: what do students find engaging? J Scholarsh Teach Learn. 2010;10:1–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dogra N. The development and evaluation of a programme to teach cultural diversity to medical undergraduate students. Med Educ. 2008;35:232–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dyrbye LN, Thomas MR, Massie FS, Power DV, Eacker A, Harper W. Burnout and suicidal ideation among U.S. medical students. Ann Intern Med. 2008;149:334–41.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Edgard B, Lopez-Ibor M, Hermans M, Ng R. WPA recommendations: principles and priorities for a framework for training psychiatrists. World Psychiatric Association; 2017.

    Google Scholar 

  • Egnew TR, Wilson HJ. Faculty and medical students’ perceptions of teaching and learning about the doctor–patient relationship. Patient Educ Couns. 2010;79:199–206.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ekore R, Ajuwon A, Abdulmalik J. Developing mental health peer counselling services for undergraduate students of a Nigerian university: a pilot study. IFE PsychologIA. 2016;24:246–58.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fiorillo A, Luciano M, Giacco D, et al. Training and practice of psychotherapy in Europe: results of a survey. World Psychiatry. 2011;10:238.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Fiorillo A, Malik A, Luciano M, Del Vecchio V, Sampogna G, Del Gaudio L, et al. Challenges for trainees in psychiatry and early career psychiatrists. Int Rev Psychiatry. 2013;25:431–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fiorillo A, Del Vecchio V, Luciano M, Sampogna G, Beezhold J. This is why there is hope for psychiatry. World Psychiatry. 2014;1:98–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fiorillo A, Pinto da Costa M, Nakamae T, Puspanathan P, Riese F, Picon F, et al. Associations of early career psychiatrists worldwide: history, role, and future perspectives. Middle East Curr Psychiatry. 2016;23:3–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Firth J. Levels and sources of stress in medical students. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed). 1986;292:1177–80.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gama J, Stefanovic PM, Mitkovic-Voncina M, Riese F, Guloksuz S, Holmes K, et al. Equal access for all? Access to medical information for European psychiatric trainees. Psychiatry Res. 2016;238:150–2.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gargot T, Dondé C, Arnaoutoglou NA, Klotins R, Marinova P, Silva R, Psychotherapy Working Group, et al. How is psychotherapy training perceived by psychiatric trainees? A cross-sectional observational study in Europe. Eur Psychiatry. 2017;45:136–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Giurgiuca A, Rosca AE, Matei VP, Giurgi-Oncu C, Zgarbura R, Szalontay AS, Pinto Da Costa M. European Union mobility, income and brain drain. The attitudes towards migration of Romanian Psychiatric Trainees. Revista de Cercetare si Interventie Sociala. 2018;63:268–78. Iasi: Expert Projects Publishing

    Google Scholar 

  • Grant J. Using open and distance learning to develop clinical reasoning skills. In: Higgs J, editor. Clinical reasoning in the health professions. Amsterdam: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann; 2008.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guo, PJ. Kim, J. Rubin, R. How video production affects student engagement: an empirical study of MOOC videos. In: Proceedings of the first ACM conference on Learning @ scale conference; 2014. p. 41–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Isaac M, Rief W. Role of behavioural and social sciences in medical education. Curr Opin Psychiatry. 2009;22:184–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jacobi F, Wittchen H, Holting M, Pfister H, Muller N, Lieb R. Prevalence, comorbidity and correlates of mental disorders in the general population: results from the German Health Interview and Examination Survey (GHS). Psychol Med. 2004;34:597–611.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jones R, Pitama S, Huria T, Poole P, McKimm J, Pinnock R, et al. Medical education to improve Māori health. N Z Med J. 2010;123:113–2.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jovanovic N, Podlesek A, Volpe U, Barrett E, Ferrari S, Rojnic Kuzman M, et al. Burnout syndrome among psychiatric trainees in 22 countries: risk increased by long working hours, lack of supervision, and psychiatry not being first career choice. Eur Psychiatry. 2016;32:34–41.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kessler RC, Aguilar-Gaxiola S, Alonso J, Chatterji S, Lee S, Ormel J, et al. The global burden of mental disorders: an update from the WHO Mental Health surveys. Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci. 2009;18:23–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keynejad R, Ali F, Finlayson A, Handuleh J, Adam G, et al. Telemedicine for peer-to-peer psychiatry learning between U.K. and Somaliland medical students. Acad Psychiatry. 2013;37:182.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Keynejad R, Garratt E, Adem G, Finlayson A, Whitwell S, Sheriff R. Improved attitudes to psychiatry: a global mental health peer-to-peer e-learning partnership. Acad Psychiatry. 2014;40:659–66.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Keynejad R, Dua T, Barbui C, Thornicroft G. WHO Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) intervention guide: a systematic review of evidence from low and middle income countries. Evid Based Ment Health. 2018; https://doi.org/10.1136/eb-2017-102750.

  • Kilic O, Sonmez E, Erzin G, Guloksuz S, Pinto da Costa M.. Mobility trends of psychiatric trainees in Turkey: hard to leave, harder to stay? Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. Berlin: Springer; 2018. p. 1–3.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kirmayer LJ. Cultural variations in the response to psychiatric disorders and emotional distress. Soc Sci Med. 1989;29:327–39.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kirmayer L, Fung K, Rousseau C, et al. Guidelines for training in cultural psychiatry-position paper. Can J Psychiatr. 2011;57:1–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kristufkova A, Pinto Da Costa M, Mintziori G, Vásquez J, Aabakke A, Fode M. Sexual health during postgraduate training – European Survey across medical specialties. Sexual Medicine. 2018;6(3):255–62.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Kroenke K. Patients presenting with somatic complaints: epidemiology, psychiatric co-morbidity and management. Int J Methods Psychiatr Res. 2006;12:34–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lam CW, Wong CS, Wang M, Chan WC, Chen EY, Ng RM, et al. Prevalence, psychosocial correlates and service utilization of depressive and anxiety disorders in Hong Kong: the Hong Kong Mental Morbidity Survey. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2015;50:1379–88.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Laws RD, Howell SL, Lindsay NK. Scalability in distance education: can we have our cake and eat it too. Georgia: Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration [online]; 2003.

    Google Scholar 

  • Litva A, Peters S. Exploring barriers to teaching behavioural and social sciences in medical education. Med Educ. 2008;42:309–14.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Marneros A. Psychiatry’s 200th birthday. Br J Psychiatry. 2008;193(01):1–3.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McManus S, Meltzer H, Brugha T, Bebbington P, Jenkins R. Adult psychiatric morbidity in England, 2007: results of a household survey. The NHS Information Centre for Health and Social Care; 2009.

    Google Scholar 

  • Medical Council of India. [Internet]. Mciindia.org. Regulations on graduate medical education. 1997 [cited 4 Mar 1997]. https://www.mciindia.org/documents/rulesAndRegulations/GME_REGULATIONS.pdf

  • Melle v, de Jonge P, Spijkerman T, Tijssen J, Ormel J, van Veldhuisen D, van den Brink R, van den Berg M. Prognostic association of depression following myocardial infarction with mortality and cardiovascular events: a meta-analysis. Psychosom Med. 2004;66:814–22.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Moir F, Yielder J, Sanson J, Chen Y. Depression in medical students: current insights. Adv Med Educ Pract. 2018;9(9):323–33.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Moussaoui D. Creating a department of psychiatry in a developing country. World Psychiatry. 2002;1:57–8.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Murthy RS, Khandelwal S. Undergraduate training in psychiatry: world perspective. Indian J Psychiatry. 2007;49:169–74.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Nawka A, Rojnic Kuzman M, Giacco D, Malik A. Challenges of postgraduate psychiatric training in Europe: a trainee perspective. Psychiatr Serv. 2010;9:862–4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ng D. An open letter from the University Dean of Students. In: Press releases. Communications and Public Relations Office. The Chinese University of Hong Kong. 2016. https://www.cpr.cuhk.edu.hk/en/press_detail.php?id=2206&t=an-open-letter-from-the-university-dean-of-students&id=2206&t=an-open-letter-from-the-university-dean-of-students. Accessed 31 July 2018.

  • Ng RM, Hermans M, Belfort E, Bhugra D. A worldwide survey on training provisions for psychiatric trainees in WPA member associations. Int Rev Psychiatry (under peer review).

    Google Scholar 

  • Oakley C, Malik A. Psychiatric training in Europe. Psychiatrist. 2010;34:447–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ochoa Leite F, Cochat C, Salgado H, Pinto da Costa M, Queirós M, Campos O, Carvalho P. Using Google translate in the hospital: a case report. Technol Health Care. 2016;24:965.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ohtsu T, Kaneita Y, Osaki Y, Kokaze A, Ochiai H, Shirasawa T, Nanri H, Ohida T. Mental health status among Japanese Medical students: a cross-sectional survey of 20 universities. Acta Med Okayama. 2014;68(6):331–7.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Onah DFO, Sinclair J, Boyatt R. Dropout rates of massive open online courses: behavioural patterns. In: 6th international conference on education and new learning technologies, Barcelona, 7–9 July 2014. EDULEARN14 Proceedings; 2014. p. 5825–5834.

    Google Scholar 

  • Papish A, Kassam A, Modgill G, Vaz G, Zanussi L, Patten S. Reducing the stigma of mental illness in undergraduate medical education: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Educ. 2013;13:141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson CD, Rdesinski RE, Biagioli FE, Chappelle KG, Elliot DL. Medical student perceptions of a behavioural and social science curriculum. Ment Health Fam Med. 2011;8:215–26.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Phillips MR, Zhang J, Shi Q, Song Z, Ding Z, Pang S, et al. Prevalence, treatment and associated disability of mental disorders in four provinces in China during 2001-05: an epidemiological survey. Lancet. 2009;373:2041–53.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pinto da Costa M. A challenge of the 21st century: brain migration in psychiatry. Int Psychiatry. 2012;9(03):75–6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pinto da Costa M. Global mental health: what is your role in this movement? Acta Medica Port. 2015;28:275–6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pinto da Costa M, Guerra C, Malta R. Psychiatry training towards a global future: trainees’ perspective in Portugal. Acta Medica Port. 2013;26:357–60.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pinto da Costa M, Moreira C, Ochoa F, Caseiro J, Silva J, Andrade M, et al. Global mental health – EFPT Porto Forum 2015. Int J Clin Neurosci Ment Health. 2015;2(Suppl 1):1.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pinto da Costa M, Oliveira J, Abdulmalik J. Where can early career researchers learn how to peer review a scientific paper? Eur Sci Ed. 2018a;44:4–7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pinto da Costa M, Rojnic Palavra I, Fung P, Tawfik F, Santos M, Sitanggang S, et al. The future of psychiatry commission. Lancet Psychiatry. 2018b;5:15–6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pinto da Costa M, Giurgiuca A, Holmes K, Biskup E, Mogren T, Tomori S, et al. To which countries do European psychiatric trainees want to move to and why? Eur Psychiatry. 2017;45:174–81.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pinto da Costa M, Dima K, Ng RMK. Undergraduate psychiatric education: a snapshot of medical students across the world. World Psychiatry Journal. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20642

  • Prince M, Patel V, Saxena S, Maj M, Maselko J, Phillips MR, et al. No health without mental health. Lancet. 2007;370:859–77.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Qureshi H, Holt C, Cross S, Hutchings H, Marshall E, Mirvis R, et al. The psychiatry early experience programme: stigma, attitudes and recruitment. Eur Psychiatry. 2015;30:1018.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rees CE, Sheard CE, Mcpherson AC. A qualitative study to explore undergraduate medical students attitudes towards communication skills learning. Med Teach. 2002;24:289–93.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rey JM, editor. IACAPAP e-textbook of child and adolescent mental health. Geneva: International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions; 2015.

    Google Scholar 

  • Riese F, Oakley C, Bendix M, Piir P, Fiorillo A. Transition from psychiatric training to independent practice: a survey on the situation of early career psychiatrists in 35 countries. World Psychiatry. 2013;1:82–3.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Russell A, Teijlingen EV, Lambert H, Stacy R. Social and behavioural science education in UK medical schools: current practice and future directions. Med Educ. 2004;38:409–17.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Satterfield JM, Mitteness LS, Tervalon M, Adler N. Integrating the social and behavioral sciences in an undergraduate medical curriculum: the UCSF essential core. Acad Med. 2004;79:6–15.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shields G, Ng R, Ventriglio A, Castaldelli-Maia J, Torales J, Bhugra D. WPA position statement on recruitment in psychiatry. World Psychiatry. 2017;16:113–4.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Slater G. Psychiatry early experience programme – improving undergraduate attitudes to psychiatry In: eNewsletters. Royal College of Psychiatrists. 2016. https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/workinpsychiatry/divisions/trent/enewsletters-trent/enewsletter-summer2016/psychiatryearlyexperiencepr.aspx. Accessed 6 June 2018

  • Smedley BD, Stith AY, Nelson AR, Institute of Medicine Committee on Understanding and Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care, editors. Unequal treatment: confronting racial and ethnic disparities in health care. Washington, DC: National Academies Press (US); 2003.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tait I. Behavioural science in medical education and clinical practice. Soc Sci Med. 1973;1967:1003–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tasman A, Kay J, Udomratn P, Alarcon R, Jenkins R, Lindhardt A. WPA template for undergraduate and graduate psychiatric education. 2014. http://www.wpanet.org/uploads/Education/Template_for_Undergraduate_and_Graduate/WPA-Template-rev.pdf

  • Tervalon M. Components of culture in health for medical students’ education. Acad Med. 2003;78:570–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Thomson L, Dave S. The Organisation of Undergraduate Teaching. In: Brown T, Eagles J, editors. teaching psychiatry to undergraduates. London: RCPsych Publications; 2011. p. 38–51.

    Google Scholar 

  • Udomratn P. Teaching of psychiatry: customizing the curriculum of medical students for ASEAN. ASEAN J Psychiatry. 2008;9:114–7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Udomratn P, Sangkooks J. Attitudes of Thai medical students towards psychiatry: a study at Prince of Songkla University. South Asian J Psychiatry. 2003;1:17–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vanselow NA, Committee on Behavioral and Social Sciences in Medical School Curricula. Improving medical education: enhancing the behavioral and social science content of medical school curricula. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press; 2004.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wakatsuki Y, Griffiths J. Japan’s youth suicide rate highest in 30 years [Internet]. CNN. 2018 [cited 6 Nov 2018]. https://edition.cnn.com/2018/11/05/health/japan-youth-suicide-intl/index.html

  • WHO Expert Committee on Mental Health & World Health Organization. The undergraduate teaching of psychiatry and mental health promotion: ninth report of the Expert Committee on Mental Health [meeting held in Geneva from 13 to 17 June 1960]. Geneva: World Health Organization; 1961.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson J. HE Academy. Interactive theatre in the classroom: Forum Theatre. 2017. https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/system/files/downloads/pre_reading_material.pdf

  • World Health Assembly, 65. Global burden of mental disorders and the need for a comprehensive, coordinated response from health and social sectors at the country level: report by the Secretariat. World Health Organization; 2012.

    Google Scholar 

  • World Health Organization, Dept. of Mental Health and Substance Abuse & World Psychiatric Association. Atlas: psychiatric education and training across the world: 2005. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2005.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yew E, Goh K. Problem-Based Learning: An Overview of its Process and Impact on Learning. Health Professions Education. 2016;2(2):75–79

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mariana Pinto da Costa .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Ng, R.M.K., Chan, T.F., Shields, G., Pinto da Costa, M. (2019). Global Mental Health and Psychiatry Education. In: Okpaku, S. (eds) Innovations in Global Mental Health. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70134-9_69-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70134-9_69-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-70134-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-70134-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference MedicineReference Module Medicine

Publish with us

Policies and ethics