A leading global initiative that has shaped mental health care for two decades is returning to its roots.
The World Mental Health Survey Consortium, a project that provides the data-driven backbone for international health policy, is now anchored at the University of Michigan-the institution where its foundational work first began-after 25 years at Harvard University.
Housed at the Institute for Social Research, the consortium enters a new phase of leadership, led by William Axinn, director of ISR's International Research Hub, and Stephanie Chardoul, director of Survey Research Operations at the ISR Survey Research Center.
Axinn and Chardoul address the importance of this move and the consortium's future impact on global and domestic health.
What is the significance of the World Mental Health Survey Consortium moving to Michigan?
Axinn: The consortium was originally launched more than 20 years ago by former U-M researcher Ronald Kessler. By anchoring the project at Michigan's Survey Research Center, the consortium gains access to a deep well of expertise in survey methodology and social science. The move centralizes decades of data that have already resulted in more than 1,100 academic articles and 200,000 citations, providing a stable foundation for the next generation of global mental health research.
What makes this data so critical for global and U.S. health policy?
Chardoul: Mental health and substance use disorders are leading causes of disability worldwide, including in the United States. These issues typically emerge in early adulthood, creating ripple effects across a person's education, employment and relationships. The consortium provides a "gold standard" survey instrument that allows policymakers to see exactly where needs are not being met. By using a comparative approach, researchers can identify successful strategies in one country-such as an effective intervention for childhood trauma-and adapt them for use in another, potentially reducing the global burden of disease.
How does the consortium ensure its findings are accurate across different cultures?
Axinn: The reliability of the data depends on a rigorous cultural adaptation process. Rather than using a simple word-for-word translation, the team works with local researchers to tune the survey to the specific language and context of each region. This involves in-depth interviews with community members and mental health professionals to ensure the experience of symptoms is accurately captured. This high level of clinical validity enables meaningful comparisons across diverse populations.
What is next for the consortium's research and expansion?
Chardoul: The project is undergoing a major expansion to provide a more comprehensive and current view of global health. While surveys were recently completed in countries or regions such as Hong Kong, Norway, the Philippines, Turkey and Qatar, the consortium is now launching or planning new national surveys in Brazil, Japan, Kenya, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Poland and the United States. These updates use a modernized questionnaire that reflects the latest clinical definitions in the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) and ICD-11 (International Classification of Diseases), ensuring the research stays at the cutting edge of psychiatric science.
What is the anticipated timeline for the first data releases from the new Michigan repository?
Chardoul: We don't have a specific timeline for the first data releases from the Michigan repository; we're working toward securing funding and building the new infrastructure. That infrastructure will include a comprehensive website, which we will use to share updates as soon as they're available.
When can the broader research community expect access to the updated survey results?
Axinn: The countries that have already completed the current DSM-5/ICD-11 surveys are rapidly publishing their results. Examples include a special issue of a journal featuring results from Qatar, a book with full survey results from the Philippines and initial papers on mental health disorder prevalence from Hong Kong and Turkey. New papers comparing results across the countries are also in process.
How will this move benefit the University of Michigan community?
Chardoul: The consortium's presence in Ann Arbor creates an interdisciplinary hub, connecting the ISR with the Ford School of Public Policy, the Center for Global Health Equity and the Eisenberg Depression Center. It offers U-M scholars and students unprecedented access to international research and public health policy work. By shifting to a managed, open-access data repository, the project will enable researchers outside the consortium to use these data, fostering new partnerships and inspiring the next generation of scholars across every field linked to mental health.
