Establishing the "South-East Asia Mental Health Consortium" (SEAMHC)

Mental health literacy refers to the knowledge and understanding needed to assess mental health, and recognise mental distress and illness in order to request help and support. In South-East Asia, however, mental health literacy may remain limited due to cultural, social, and structural barriers in conducting mental health research. The "South-East Asia Mental Health Consortium" (SEAMHC), based in Malaysia, seeks to bridge this gap by creating a collaborative network of researchers, educators, healthcare professionals, and policymakers working together to identify best practices and plan public health initiatives to nurture mental health and reduce stigma associated with mental illness and distress, therefore improving access to mental health care for millions of people in Malaysia and neighbouring countries. This networking grant will support the organisation of the first "SEAMHC Summer School 2025", a 3-day event in Summer 2025, aimed at formally establishing the SEAMHC and discuss future opportunities for collaborative research, knowledge exchange, and capacity-building initiatives. We will invite academics, educators, healthcare professionals, and policymakers from Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, who will contribute and share their expertise. Dr. Hoo Keat Wong (University of Nottingham Malaysia) & Dr. Alessio Bellato (University of Southampton UK) will lead the networking event, which will include a half-day training on evidence synthesis for policymaking, oral and poster presentations, roundtables and workshops. Establishing the SEAMHC aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 "Good Health and Wellbeing", recognized by the Malaysian government as a critical component for building resilient communities.