Mental illnesses don't get much media attention. Yet they exact a terrible toll in rich and poor countries alike. According to the World Health Organization, about 383 million people in the world suffer from depression, bipolar disease, or a psychosis such as schizophrenia. We’ll tackle several reasons behind the lack of media attention in this session on global mental health – stigma, a mis-perceived lack of science, and unaffordability of treatment.
This is your chance to find out if science will come to the rescue. You’ll hear from one of the developers of a low-cost, proven effective treatment for depression. A Liberian psychiatrist will tell you about the challenges of delivering care in a stigmatized environment. A Latin American psychologist will talk about regional challenges. And a survivor of the internal wars in Rwanda will tell you about her personal journey coming to terms with PTSD.
The session will led by freelance journalist Joanne Silberner, who has been covering mental illness for three decades. You should come away with ideas for specific global and local mental health stories, and ways to approach them.