PsychSolutions Competition
The PsychSolutions Competition highlights innovative, science-based initiatives aiming to address the burden of suffering caused by mental health challenges around the world.
The selected winner is awarded 10,000ドル USD and the opportunity to work with APA to create a promotional video highlighting their global health initiative.
APA’s Office of International Affairs (OIA) invited eligible contestants to submit a project proposal with emphasis on impact and innovation. Current members and affiliates of APA and national psychological associations with which APA has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) were eligible to participate in this competition as individuals or in small groups.
Why global mental health?
Mental health remains neglected around the world despite its clear importance to global health, economies, and human rights. About 80% of people with severe mental disorders receive no treatment for their disorder in low-income and middle-income countries; 25–50% receive no treatment in high-income countries. Globally, annual spending on mental health is less than two dollars per person and less than 25 cents per person in low-income countries (World Health Organization, 2013).
It is clear that we need to implement innovative solutions to improve global mental health and reduce the suffering and economic harm associated with mental illness. Addressing this global burden is not just a moral imperative—investing in global mental health initiatives can produce significant positive economic outcomes, with benefit to cost ratios of approximately 2.3–3 to 1 across countries. This benefit to cost ratio increases to 3.3–5.7 to 1 when the value of health returns (i.e., the economic value of healthy life-years) is included (Chisholm et al., 2016).
The PsychSolutions Competition provides an exciting opportunity to elevate the field of psychology and its critical role in improving mental health outcomes across the globe. In line with APA’s strategic goals of utilizing psychology to make a positive impact on critical societal issues, elevating the public’s understanding of the field, and preparing the discipline for the future, this innovative competition enhances the partnerships between APA and national psychological associations around the world with which APA has signed a formal MOU.
Winner
Senegal
Tampsy was developed in Senegal. It provides a culturally relevant training to social workers and psychotherapists to address mental health issues. Tampsy stimulates conversations about mental health issues and provides space for community intervention. It is adaptable to individual and group settings. The project will be developed in Senegal aiming to train social workers to use Tampsy as a psycho-educative tool at a community level, and psychotherapists to use it as a projective method to apprehend patients’ associations in a culturally relevant approach. Ismahan S. Diop is a Clinical psychologist, teacher-researcher at UCAD (Dakar), and president of the association of psychologists in Senegal.
Contact: Ismahan Diopopens in new window
People's Choice Award Winner
Climate Change and Mental Health
Ukraine
The National Psychological Association of Ukraine presents an online educational program "Climate change and mental health: connections and influence" for psychologists, teachers and medical workers from Eastern Europe. The course will be in Ukrainian and English and answer the following key questions: 1. What is climate change and how it affects people in Eastern Europe? Why is the scientific community worldwide concerned about this problem? 2. How does climate change affect mental health? What research supports and explains the connection between climate change and mental health? 3. What skills may be developed and steps be taken in the field of prevention and treatment in order to inform and empower the populations who suffer climate change consequences right now? Ecologists, climatologists, psychologists, and psychotherapists will contribute to the creation of the course in order for it to be engaging and provide solid knowledge. After the course the participants will take a test and get a certificate. This project will raise awareness about connections between climate change and mental health issues among psychologists, teachers and medical workers from Eastern Europe.
Contact: Valeriia Palii
Finalists
The Total Wellness Initiative
The Total Wellness Initiative affirms our belief and commitment to fostering a school environment conducive to the nurturance of our physical, emotional, and psychological well being. It comprises an online resource directory co-curated and -produced by various stakeholders within a school ecosystem and a physical environment modification component to improve the utilization rate of the online platform. Through the Total Wellness Initiative, we aim to prevent mental challenges by promoting mental health and proactive self-care activities through accessible, effective and holistic mediums. Furthermore, it is a low-cost but high-scale intervention that is culturally adaptable and grounded in the needs of a community, making it an ideal intervention for implementation in any country. Together, let us put the WE back in wellness.
Contact person: Jonathan Kuek
PHOBOS AR
Specific phobia is a highly prevalent disorder leading to disability on a global scale. While exposure therapy is an effective treatment option, it suffers from insufficient reach, practically challenges and the problem of recurrence of anxiety. The widespread use of smartphones and new possibilities of augmented reality offer new innovative and low-cost treatment options. The iOS PHOBOS AR app is a first augmented reality app for handheld devices that includes specimens of multiple different species and can be directly implemented in practice. Our research shows that the virtual animals can evoke fear in the general population and a clinical study is ongoing. Through the PsychSolutions competition we aim to further improve and disseminate the application.
Contact: Nele De Witte
Major Psychological Needs and Interventions in Ghana’s "Witch Camps"
In parts of Northern Ghana, some old and vulnerable women who may be suffering from mental disorders are often accused of being witches and treated in the worst ways possible. Some are lynched, others are viciously attacked and others, the ‘lucky’ ones, flee their communities never to return. Those who manage to flee are often accompanied by children related to them also stigmatized for their relationship with the "witch". Today, over 1,000 such women and children live in camps labeled "witch camps" cut from all contact with their communities and left to fend for themselves. Their experiences are traumatic and may bring several psychological consequences. As psychologists, we see a need to respond and we believe that a blend of Expressive arts known for their cathartic effects and empirically- supported psychological interventions can help bring valuable psychological relief to this group and help improve their mental wellbeing.
Contact: Ernest Darkwah
The PsychSolutions Competition finals judging committee
Germán Gutiérrez, PhD
German Gutierrez Gutiérrez received a degree in psychology from the National University of Colombia (NUC), and an MA and PhD in behavioral neuroscience from the University of Texas at Austin. An associate professor at NUC, he has been director of the Animal Learning and Behavior Laboratory, psychology graduate coordinator, chair of the Department of Psychology, and associate dean for research at the School of Human Sciences. He was project author and coordinator of the Master and PhD programs in psychology.
He has served as president of the Colombian Association of Psychology Faculties, vice-president of the Colombian College of Psychologists, member of the workgroup of the International Project on Competences in Psychology, President of the International Society for Comparative Psychology, and member of the Executive Committee of IUPsyS. He is the founder and director of the Observatory of Psychology in Latin America.
Gutiérrez has been a reviewer for the Ministry of Education of Colombia to evaluate undergraduate and graduate programs seeking accreditation. He also has extensive experience in scientific publications, as editor of the Latin American Journal of Psychology and member of the editorial boards of multiple psychology journals.
Gutiérrez has been a visiting professor at universities in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, México, Perú, and the U.S. He has published nearly 100 articles and chapters on the evolution of behavior and learning, the history of psychology, and psychology's status and development. He received the Colombian National Award for Research in Psychology.
Vikram Patel, PhD
Vikram Patel Patel is The Pershing Square Professor of Global Health and Wellcome Trust Principal Research Fellow at the Harvard Medical School. He co-leads the GlobalMentalHealth@Harvard initiative.
His work has focused on the burden of mental health problems, their association with social disadvantage, and the use of community resources for their prevention and treatment. He is a co-founder of the Movement for Global Mental Health, the Centre for Global Mental Health (at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine), the Mental Health Innovations Network, and Sangath, an Indian NGO which won the WHO Public Health Champion of India prize. He is a Fellow of the UK's Academy of Medical Sciences and has served on the committee which drafted India’s first national mental health policy and the WHO High Level Independent Commission for NCDs. He has been awarded the Chalmers Medal, the Sarnat Prize, the Pardes Humanitarian Prize, an honorary OBE and the John Dirk Canada Gairdner Award in Global Health. He was listed in TIME Magazine’s 100 most influential persons of the year in 2015.
Vivek R. Shinde Patil, PhD
Vivek R. Shinde Patil Patil is the CEO and co-founder of EXOForce Robotics, Inc, a soft-robotics and AI startup. Patill has extensive experience as a biotech industry professional, scientist, and entrepreneur.
He spent nearly 15 years in the life science private sector managing global teams, leading scientific engagement and promoting business development for Xenogen Corporation, Caliper Life Sciences and most recently, Perkin Elmer, Inc. He has previously co-founded two biotech startups, one of which Lucerna Bio, successfully exited in 2011. He also co-founded a social-impact venture, Ascent Virginia, focused on bridging economic disparities and promoting sustainable economic development in economically depressed regions across Virginia. Vivek has graduate degrees from The Johns Hopkins University, University of Memphis/University of Tennessee and a PhD in chemical engineering from Ohio University.
Shekhar Saxena, MD
Shekhar Saxena Saxena is professor of the Practice of Global Mental Health at the Department of Global Health and Population at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. A psychiatrist by training, he was in the faculty of AIIMS, New Delhi before he joined World Health Organization (WHO) in 1998. From 2010 to 2018 he was the Director of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse at WHO.
During his leadership WHO’s Mental Health Action Plan was adopted by the World Health Assembly and mental health and wellbeing was included in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. He also led the WHO team to strengthen mental health services in more than 100 countries. Author of more than 300 academic papers, he was an editor of the Lancet Commission on Global Mental Health and Sustainable Development 2018. His expertise includes providing evidence-based advice and technical assistance to policy makers, businesses and civil society on mental health promotion and prevention and management of mental, developmental, neurological and substance use disorders and suicide prevention. His current work includes assessing and advising on the impact of COVID-19 on mental health and wellbeing.
Sandra L. Shullman, PhD
Sandra Shullman Shullman is APA Past President, managing partner of the Columbus Office of the Executive Development Group, an international leadership development and consulting firm, and has written and presented extensively on the topics of performance appraisal, performance management, strategic succession planning, career development, management of self esteem and motivation, team building, diversity management, and sexual harassment.
Shullman has served on the American Psychological Association Board of Directors. Shullman holds a bachelor’s degree from Dickinson College, a master’s degree from Harvard University and a PhD in counseling psychology from Ohio State University. Her full biography is available on the Governance pages of the APA website.
MOU Partners
- American Psychological Association
- Association of German Professional Psychologists
- Association of Greek Psychologists
- Association of Psychologists in Nepal
- Association of Psychologists of Senegal
- Australian Psychological Society
- Bangladesh Clinical Psychology Society
- Bangladesh Psychological Association
- Brazilian Psychological Society
- British Psychological Society
- Canadian Psychological Association
- Chinese Psychological Society
- College of Psychologists of Guatemala
- College of Psychologists of Peru
- Colombian College of Psychologists
- Cuban Psychological Society
- Cuban Society of Health Psychology
- Dominican College of Psychologists
- Ecuadorian Society of Psychotherapy
- European Federation of Psychologists’ Associations
- Federation of Venezuelan Psychologists
- Flemish Association of Clinical Psychologists
- French Federation of Psychologists and Psychology
- French Psychological Society
- Ghana Psychological Association
- German Psychological Society
- Haitian Psychological Association
- Indonesian Psychological Association (HIMPSI)
- Interamerican Society of Psychology (SIP)
- Israel Psychological Association
- Jamaican Psychological Association
- Japanese Psychological Association
- Jordanian Psychological Association
- Korean Psychological Association
- Lebanese Psychological Association
- Macedonian Association for Applied Psychology
- Mexican Psychological Society
- Middle East Psychological Association
- National Academy of Psychology, India
- Netherlands Institute of Psychology
- New Zealand Psychological Society
- Nicaraguan Association for the Development of Psychology
- Nigerian Psychological Association
- Norwegian Psychological Association
- Order of Portuguese Psychologists
- Order of Psychologists of Albania
- Order of Psychologists of Piedmont, Italy
- Pakistan Psychological Association
- Panamanian Association of Psychologists (APP)
- Polish Association for Psychology of Human Development
- Polish Psychologists' Association
- Psychological Association of the Philippines
- Psychological Society of Ireland
- Psychological Society of South Africa
- Russian Psychological Society
- Serbian Psychological Society
- Singapore Psychological Society
- Spanish Psychological Association (COP)
- Sri Lanka Psychological Association
- Swedish Psychological Association
- Tanzanian Psychological Association
- The National Psychological Association of Ukraine (NPA)
- Turkish Psychological Association
- Uganda Council of Psychologists
- Zanzibar Psychological Counselling Association
References
Chisholm, D., Sweeny, K., Sheehan, P., Rasmussen, B., Smit, F., Cuijpers, P., & Saxena, S. (2016). Scaling-up treatment of depression and anxiety: A global return on investment analysis. The Lancet Psychiatry, 3(5), 415–424.
Lancet Commission on Global Mental Health and Sustainable Development. (2018). The Lancet Commissions, 392(10157), 1553–1598.
Vigo, D., Thornicroft, G., & Atun, R. (2016). Estimating the true global burden of mental illness. The Lancet, Psychiatry, 3(2), 171–178.
World Health Organization. (2013). Mental Health Action Plan, 2013–20. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241506021.