Brazil

Unraveling the social determinants of mental health: A Brazilian perspective

This newly developed collaboration between the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work in Toronto and the Instituto de Neurociencies e Comportamento in Ribeiral Preto, São Paulo, Brazil would like to develop a program of multidisciplinary research using a “social determinants of mental health” framework. This framework is congruent with IDRC’s high priority areas of global health and social and economic policy, and reflects the World Health Organization’s recent emphasis on including mental health as a central component of development.

This collaboration intends to identify the social determinants that contribute to the onset of mental illness and the social determinants that prevent the rehabilitation and inclusion of those who are experiencing a mental illness in Brazil. The project also intends to document the factors that facilitate and/or impede the implementation of evidence-based knowledge in the delivery of mental health services.

Outcomes of the project will include a detailed agenda for a long-term program of research, policy briefs for government authorities and evidence-based guidelines for the implementation of mental health services and supports in Brazil.