Global Mental Health and the DIADA Project

• Published in: Revista colombiana de psiquiatría 2021-06
• Main Authors: Uribe-Restrepo, José Miguel, Gómez-Ayala, Maria Camila, Rosas-Romero, Juan Camilo, Cubillos, Leonardo, Cepeda, Magda, Gómez-Restrepo, Carlos
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0034-7450
• DOI: 10.1016/j.rcp.2020.12.002

The DIADA project, understood as a mental healthcare implementation experience in the context of a middle-income country like Colombia, promotes a necessary discussion about its role in the global mental health framework. The following article outlines the main points by which this relationship occurs, understanding how the project contributes to global mental health and, at the same time, how global mental health nurtures the development of this project. It reflects on aspects like the systematic screening of patients with mental illness, the use of technology in health, the adoption of a collaborative model, the investigation on implementation, a collaborative learning and the Colombian healthcare system. These are all key aspects when interpreting the feedback cycle between the individual and the global. The analysis of these components shows how collaborative learning is a central axis in the growth of global mental health: from the incorporation of methodologies, implementation of models, assessment of outcomes and, finally, the dissemination of results to local, regional and international stakeholders.