Mental health was in discussion Tuesday at an event hosted by the School of Social Work. Guest speaker Jerome Galea gave a lecture discussing the origins, applications and benefits of the global mental health field. The event marked the 29th annual Daniel S. Sanders Peace and Social Justice Memorial Lecture, made possible through a grant supporting social justice and human affairs initiatives.
Galea, a professor and researcher in global mental health, currently serves as an assistant professor at the University of South Florida and has worked extensively with the U.S. Agency for International Development. His lecture, held at the Alice Campbell Alumni Center, focused on the global gap in access to mental health care.
According to Galea, a major issue within the field of global mental health is the disparity between funding and access. Preventative services such as therapy and community-based care are often underfunded and overbooked.
“Unfortunately, low funding leads to a mental health gap,” Galea said. “This means that many people who need basic services are simply not receiving them.”
Although funding for mental health has increased over the past two decades, Galea noted that resources are often unevenly distributed and disproportionately directed toward psychiatric facilities rather than preventative care.
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“This situation is like spending all of our healthcare budget on intensive care units,” Galea said. “If I had a small cut, I might not seek care at all in that system.”
As a result, many individuals — particularly younger populations — face growing barriers to accessing care. Over the past decade, rates of mental health disorders among global youth have increased significantly, with approximately one in seven people experiencing a mental illness. Conditions such as anxiety and depression go untreated at rates as high as 80% worldwide in lower and middle income countries. Across the world, suicide remains the second leading cause of death among individuals ages 19 to 25.
The global mental health field aims to address these challenges through expanded community-based care models and reduced stigma. Additionally, it hopes to alleviate pressure on lower income countries and their residents through globalized social work and research.
As for college campuses, students say accessibility remains a major issue and potential crisis.
“It is so hard to access mental health resources at the university,” said Alex Tatman, freshman in Media who attended the lecture. “I know people who have seen counselors booked out six months in advance, and at that point, they don’t even try to get the care they need.”
Tatman added that limited access can discourage students from seeking support altogether.
Galea also discussed challenges within the field, including recent funding cuts that have affected global mental health initiatives. Galea was fired from his position at USAID after the Trump administration’s funding cuts in February. Before, he worked on projects such as establishing over 60 community mental health centers in Peru, supporting a ban on pesticides that were linked to suicide in Sri Lanka and expanding PTSD-related programs in Ukraine.
“It is unfortunate because, from a financial standpoint, every $1 invested in mental health now saves $23.12 in the long run,” Galea said. “It’s a no-brainer.”
For students seeking support, resources are available through Campus Well-being, which is funded through student tuition and fees. For immediate assistance, individuals are encouraged to call 815-720-4953 for guidance toward appropriate services.
The event concluded with a sense of urgency and cautious optimism about the future of mental health care. Sharva Hampton-Campbell, an alum and professor at Chicago State University, reflected on how attitudes have changed over time and noted a sense of hope after the lecture.
“In the past, when I was college-aged, this was kept behind closed doors,” Hampton-Campbell said. “Now I see less stigma, and more people are speaking up and saying, ‘Yes, I struggle with this.’”
