Geopolitical events such as conflict, climate change, Covid-19, populism, the erosion of human rights, global austerity, inequalities, terror, and fragile security has created an environment where many determinants of poor mental health are exacerbated and add to the global mental health burden across nations, regions, and communities, thus presenting some of the most fundamental inter-national geopolitical challenges.

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Geopsychiatry(1) is an exciting intersectoral field focusing on the interface between geopolitical events and their impact on the practice of psychiatry across all ages and subspecialities. Geopsychiatry offers a different perspective as it highlights the pluralistic nature of mental health and mental health care and focuses on collaboration across regions, organisations, communities, and disciplines - both medical and non-medical.

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Geopolitical factors have always influenced health and as the world is grappling with this myriad of simultaneous challenges; it is time for a new global conceptualisation of Geopolitical Determinants of Mental Health(2). This is an important addition in explaining health, illness and health-care delivery and their complex relationships from a social, cultural, commercial, political, geographical, determinant viewpoint.  

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Securing and spending scarce mental health resources has never been more challenging. A more progressive approach to fund mental health would be the utilisation of the CAPE Vulnerability Index(3). This index is a global foreign policy tool that codifies the countries to be prioritised for foreign aid. It provides an indication of where foreign aid could be used as a tool to build mental health into foreign policy, doing much more than responding only to humanitarian crises.

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The WPA has recognised the impact of these current geopolitical changes on mental health and how appropriate responses are still poorly understood; and has thus established this special interest group -WPA Geopsychiatry Special Interest Group, with a clear explicit strategic aim to summarise current evidence and propose strategies to tackle geopolitical challenges on mental health. 

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Terms of Reference:

• To identify topics related to Geopsychiatry that are of substantial interest for psychiatry and create recommendations for WPA’s involvement in problem-solving research, policy, practice, teaching, and service development of that type relevant to mental health/mental illness across the globe.

• To integrate into teaching Geopsychiatry principles that consolidate psychiatric practice and develop and disseminate educational material, participate in seminars, symposia, and webinars.

• To support member societies, institutions and individuals interested and participate in WPA’s programs of research, service development and education related to Geopsychiatry

• To communicate with other international organisations with a view to ensure that Geopsychiatry issues are considered in the work of these groups and vice versa.

If you would like to be part of this dynamic Geopsychiatry movement, please email: info@geopsychiatry.com               

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1. International Review of Psychiatry Special Issue

2. João Mauricio Castaldelli-Maia, guest edited a special issue on Geopsychiatry for the International Review of Psychiatry. A selection of 15 papers (https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/iirp20/34/1?nav=tocList

3. Ventriglio A. Geopolitical determinants of mental health: Towards a global perspective. International Journal of Social Psychiatry. 2023;69(1):229-230. doi:10.1177/00207640221112319

4. Persaud, A., Day, G., Bhugra, D., Castaldelli-Maia, J.C., Torales, J., Valsraj, K., et al. (2020) CAPE Vulnerability Index. Int Rev Psychiatry 33, 43–55.

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