Connecting Mental Health with Sustainable Development Goals: Insights from Call Data of a Telephone Crisis Helpline in Bangladesh

Efficacy of the traditional individualistic viewpoint towards mental health is questionable, particularly in the context of the Global South countries. Past works in psychology have rarely incorporated people’s background and surroundings in dealing with mental health. In contrast, we argue that many mental health problems of people living in the Global South countries are rooted in underdevelopment. Analyzing 1,000 call data of a telephone crisis helpline in Bangladesh, we found that 91% of the cases where callers shared their problems were impacted by failure to meet one of the 17 sustainable developed goals proposed by United Nations. Challenges towards ensuring gender equality, good health and well-being, quality education, and decent work and economic growth among a few others were causing mental health problems among callers. Our findings demonstrate the need to revise support behavior models followed by helplines in the Global South and advocate for a shift in viewing mental health problems from an individualistic to a social approach.