Webinar: The Mental Health Crisis: building resilience in a changing world

The SDG 3 cluster for health and wellbeing of the International Association of Universities (IAU), spearheaded by the eHealth Center of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), is organizing a webinar with the IAU to discuss the population's increase in mental health issues and to consider how to develop strategies for resilience in an uncertain and changing world. You can now sign up for the webinar, which will take place on 16 November 2023 at 2 p.m. (CET).

The Mental Health Crisis: building resilience in a changing world

The World Health Organization announced the end of the COVID-19 pandemic as a health emergency on 23 May 2023. However, some countries are now facing challenges in the wake of the pandemic, and one of them is an increase in mental health problems.

Today's healthcare systems are having difficulties dealing with the increase in demand related to mental health issues. However, expert opinion argues that establishing preventive measures and addressing mental health problems as they arise are key strategies for improving the wellbeing and mental health of society. Being able to cope and relate to a changing and uncertain environment will be crucial for individuals and communities in today's global context.

The COVID-19 pandemic gave countries experience in dealing with emergency situations. They had to cope with uncertainty in rapidly changing environments in very short periods of time, and to help individuals and communities become resilient to this end. What lessons has this experience taught us in terms of learning to cope with a rapidly changing world?

Digital health tools are seen as an opportunity to reduce the burden on healthcare systems if they are used properly, in both diagnosis and intervention. Many mobile applications to help people with mental health problems have been launched during this post-pandemic period, and online psychotherapy is now a growing field with a great deal of potential, as well as many challenges, for both patients and professionals.

The objective of the webinar is to focus on four basic aspects:

* Some countries' individual experiences and emerging trends in care for mental health.

* Lessons learned in supporting individuals and communities in order to help them cope with uncertain and rapidly changing environments.

* The digital health solutions that have been developed which can play a leading role in supporting healthcare professionals when helping their patients in both prevention and case management.

* The role of higher education and research in the deployment of digital health tools and interventions for mental health.

The IAU SDG3 cluster for health and wellbeing

The International Association of Universities (IAU) SDG 3 cluster for health and wellbeing, Universities 4 Good Health, is an open network of seven higher education institutions spanning five continents: Western Sydney University in Australia, Makerere University in Uganda, the Universidad de Caldas in Colombia, Universitas Gadjah Mada in Indonesia, Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, University College Dublin in Ireland and the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC).

Spearheaded by the UOC's eHealth Center in Barcelona, and a part of the Global Cluster on Higher Education and Research for Sustainable Development (HESD) created by the International Association of Universities, it advocates higher education that promotes an integrated approach to health, in support of equity and wellbeing worldwide, in line with the United Nations 2030 Agenda.