Mental Health in Bangladesh: From Bench to Community

This book is about mental health in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is a densely populated country in South Asia with a population of about 170 million. It has seen significant economic growth over the last decades, and it has recently improved from being a low-income country to a lower middle-income country. Currently, Bangladesh is facing a double burden of disease, i.e., both communicable and non-communicable. About 60% of the disease burden is incured by non-communicable diseases. Mental disorders are one of the top five burdens of non-communicable disease in the country. However, psychiatry is a neglected issue in Bangladesh. There are high stigma, services gaps, out-of-pocket expense, low mental health literacy, and extreme scarcity of budget. Academically, it has also been under-addressed and under-researched. Therefore, the editor aims to provide a comprehensive book on mental health in Bangladesh, based on existing evidence and expertise, focusing on academic aspects of community mental health service.