Into The Fold: Issues In Mental Health

According to the World Health Organization, nearly a billion people worldwide have experienced some form of mental illness. This includes an estimated 5% of adults who experience depression, one in seven 10-19-year-olds who have experienced a mental health condition, and suicide being the fourth leading cause of death for young people aged 15-29 years. And people with severe mental disorders such as schizophrenia tend to die 10-20 years earlier than the general population. And that's without mentioning the COVID-19 pandemic. For this episode, we talk to two experts who have devoted their lives to global mental health. Vikram Patel, MD, is a professor of global health at the Harvard University Chan School of Public Health. In April 2015, he was listed as one of the world's 100 most influential people by TIME magazine. Fran Silvestri is director of the International Institute of Mental Health Leadership. Related links: Refugee Resilience and Well-being: A Voice from the Field https://hogg.utexas.edu/podcas