In the last two decades, research on mental health has made significant progress. Most studies on mental health have not included Africans as researchers or participants. It is a common concern that Africa will be left behind as molecular and genomic research on the brain advances at an accelerated pace.
The realization that Africa’s involvement in mental health research was vitally important has marked a turning point in the disparity. It is important for two reasons. First, science without diverse populations risks being inaccurate, biased, and incomplete. Due to Africa’s unique status as a Land of Origin, African populations have the highest genetic diversity.
The lack of diversity in mental health genetics has hampered the progress made in this field.
The group, which includes African and non-African researchers and clinicians, is working hard to reverse the trend and make up for lost time.
The challenges are daunting.
First, there has been a bias towards infectious diseases in the medical research conducted in Africa. HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria are all included. It is important to stress the need for eradication of these diseases. This should not be done at the expense of mental health issues and their associated consequences.
Budgetary constraints are the second issue. In African countries, mental health disorders are responsible for about 19% of the total years of disability. Mental health is only a small part of health budgets in many countries.
Thirdly, there haven’t been many genetic and clinical studies on the continent. Many policymakers view genetics as a distraction from the urgent problems facing the continent.
Finally, it is difficult for government agencies and institutions to justify the allocation of funds towards genetics and mental health studies. African scientists cannot ignore the fact that, given the rapid pace of technological and analytical developments in this field, the benefits of genetic research may be greater than the risks.
Breaking down Barriers
What can you do?
Human Heredity and Health In Africa is one initiative that’s working to overcome some of these barriers. The H3Africa organization is committed to understanding the health and diseases of African populations. It provides research opportunities for studying the interaction between environmental and genetic influences that spread disease.
This initiative also leads efforts to engage the public, institutions, and governments in genetic research on mental health disorders. This is part of a larger effort to bridge the knowledge gap and make genetic insights more understandable.
Global Initiative for Neuropsychiatric Genetics Education in Research is another initiative that aims to solve the issue of lack of expertise. Genetic research can be complex, requiring knowledge ranging from computer science to ethics. Through online classrooms and on-site visits by early career African researchers, the initiative bridges the gaps in training and capacity of mental health genetics research in Africa.
The curriculum not only teaches analytical skills but also teaches time management, communication, and networking. All of these are intended to help fellows develop into independent researchers.
The program is committed to producing a new generation of African researchers. To lay the foundations for these fellows, who will mentor, train, and create a second generation of scientists.
It is hoped that this program will also lead to a new level of collaboration between African institutions and collaborators from overseas. It can also help to overcome the lack of genetic researchers in Africa.
The African Mental Health Research Initiative and the Friendship Bench Project are two other initiatives that are helping to advance mental health research. However, they don’t focus on genetics. The African Mental Health Research Initiative and the Friendship Bench Project are two of the initiatives that help advance mental health research. The two initiatives have helped to increase funding, collaboration, and awareness of mental health issues in Africa.
There are still more hurdles to overcome
After the initial hurdles of research have been overcome, there will be other challenges to address.
The first is to calm people’s concerns about participating in genetic research. In Africa, genomic research has been hampered by misperceptions, stigmas, and social-cultural prohibitions. Participants are often uneasy with the use of their tissue and blood samples for genomic research.
It is still necessary to do a great deal of work to encourage people who are interested in participating in research to contribute biological samples and clinical information.
Secondly, it is important to find methods to collect samples that are affordable and non-invasive. Participants must also be given the opportunity to make an informed decision about participating in research. Those with impaired autonomy, in particular, need to be protected.
These issues have already been addressed. H3Africa, for example, developed guidelines regarding the export of samples out of African countries. It’s not clear if all institutions follow them.
There are big gaps. The majority of African countries do not have policies on health research, so it is impossible to harmonize. A comprehensive framework is also lacking to guide the mental health neuropsychiatric gene research in Africa. It is important to develop a framework that takes into consideration how to mobilize both local and international resources best.