Scarcity and inequity of mental health research resources in low-and-middle income countries: A global survey

Objective: To map mental health research capacity and resources in low-and-middle-income countries (LAMIC) for the years 1993-2003.Method: Mental health researchers from 114 LAMIC in three continents were identified through their publications in two databases (Medline and PsycInfo) and from local grey literature. A questionnaire was developed and sent to authors to elicit information about researchers' background, available resources and details of up to three recent projects.Results: 4208 researchers from 83 countries were identified through 6340 mental health indexed-publications and 3598 publications from the grey literature. 912 researchers from 52 countries completed the questionnaires. Researchers and publications were concentrated in 10% of the countries. Respondents reported participation in 1847 projects, most of which were devoted to depression and anxiety disorders, substance misuse and psychoses. Epidemiologic studies, social, psychological and clinical research accounted for 80% of all projects. Two-thirds of projects had received external funding, and less than one-third of them were conducted in collaboration with other countries.Conclusion: Mental health research capacity is scarce and unequally distributed in LAMIC. Global agencies for health research as well as LAMIC with higher concentrations ofGlobal Forum for Health ResearchWorld BankUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Psychiat, BR-04038000 São Paulo, BrazilKings Coll London, Ctr Econ Mental Hlth, Dept Hlth Serv & Populat Res, London WC2R 2LS, EnglandAll India Inst Med Sci, Dept Psychiat, New Delhi, IndiaUniv Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Res & Dev Lab, Fac Sci & Philosophy, Lima, PeruUniv Ibadan, Dept Psychiat, Ibadan, NigeriaDe La Salle Univ, Social Dev Res Ctr, Manila, PhilippinesKings Coll London, Dept Hlth Serv & Populat Res, Inst Psychiat, London WC2R 2LS, EnglandUniv Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Dept Psiquiatria, Fac Med, Lima, PeruLondon Sch Hyg & Trop Med, London, EnglandLondon Sch Hyg & Trop Med, Sangath, IndiaUniv Stellenbosch, Dept Psychol, Cape Town, South AfricaHuman Sci Res Council, Cape Town, South AfricaGlobal Forum Hlth Res, Geneva, SwitzerlandMinist Hlth, Mental Hlth Serv, Jerusalem, IsraelWHO, Dept Mental Hlth & Subst Abuse, CH-1211 Geneva, SwitzerlandUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Psychiat, BR-04038000 São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc