Conducting global mental health research is essential to understanding the prevalence of mental health and psychosocial problems, and to strengthening the evidence base for interventions. It is widely accepted that all research must adhere to standards of research ethics, such as those outlined in International Codes or Guidelines. Furthermore, in the process of conceptualising, designing, conducting, and reporting research the inherent ethical implications presented by a given study must be considered and addressed. To support this process, I have developed an interdisciplinary theoretical framework that aims to act as an entry point to making explicit the ethical issues inherent to global mental health research. The purpose of this framework is to provide global mental health researchers’ with a tool to aid engagement with the ethical dimensions to their research.

In this talk I will describe the origins and process of developing the framework, before then exploring its application to a case example. In doing so I aim to demonstrate its utility as a tool for researchers that acts as a stimulus to foregrounding the ethical implications inherent to global mental health research.