Empire of Madness: Reimagining Western Mental Health Care for Everyone

CE Hours 1

About this course

Dr. Khameer Kidia discusses topics from his urgent new book, Empire of Madness: Reimagining Western Mental Health Care for Everyone. A Rhodes Scholar and Harvard physician-anthropologist, Dr. Kidia fundamentally re-evaluates the Western approach to mental health, which often focuses on medicating individual symptoms while ignoring the exploitative societal systems, from debt and housing insecurity to the psychological effects of colonialism, that cause widespread distress. Through readings from the book and an insightful author chat, we explore Kidia's nuanced questions: How do history, culture, and politics shape mental distress? Can social interventions like cash payments replace pills for those in poverty? And what lessons can we draw from global mental health care approaches, particularly in poorer countries, where outcomes for conditions like schizophrenia are sometimes surprisingly better without relying solely on Western-style psychopharmacology? This event invites clinicians, caregivers, and people with lived experience to consider a truly global and mutual vision of wellbeing that prioritizes structural change alongside clinical care.

Learning Objectives

Analyze the limitations of the dominant Western mental health model by identifying at least three structural factors (e.g., debt, housing, colonialism) that contribute to psychological distress.
Evaluate evidence from global mental health contexts, specifically contrasting the outcomes of conditions like schizophrenia in environments that prioritize social and economic interventions over pharmaceutical treatment.
Describe how political, cultural, and historical factors intersect with individual psychopathology, moving beyond solely clinical diagnoses to consider broader societal causality.

Learning Levels

Beginner

Course Instructor(s)

Khameer Kidia, MD, MPhil

Khameer Kidia is a writer, physician, and anthropologist at Harvard Medical School and University of Zimbabwe. A Rhodes Scholar and 2023 New America Fellow, Kidia has worked on global mental health research, practice, and advocacy for the last decade. His writing has been published in New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet Psychiatry, The New York Times, Slate, Yale Review, and Los Angeles Review of Books. Born in Zimbabwe, Kidia lives between Harare and Washington, D.C.

Disclosure

DISCLOSURE OF RELEVANT FINANCIAL RELATIONSHIPS CE Learning Systems adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity ― including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others ― are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (formerly known as commercial interests). The following relevant financial relationships have been disclosed by this activity’s planners, faculty, and the reviewer: PLANNERS AND REVIEWER The planners of this activity have reported that they have no relevant financial relationships. FACULTY The faculty of this activity have reported that they have no relevant financial relationships.

References

Kidia, K., Machando, D., Dzoro, V., Chibanda, D., Abas, M., Manda, E., Mutengerere, A., Nyandoro, T., Chawarika, M., Majichi, D., van Dijk, J. H., & Jack, H. (2024). Rural Friendship Bench: A qualitative study in Zaka district, Zimbabwe. Social science & medicine (1982), 348, 116791. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.116791
Lovett, A., Kwon, H. R., Kidia, K., Machando, D., Crooks, M., Fricchione, G., Thornicroft, G., & Jack, H. E. (2019). Mental health of people detained within the justice system in Africa: systematic review and meta-analysis. International journal of mental health systems, 13, 31. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13033-019-0273-z
Jack, H. E., Fricchione, G., Chibanda, D., Thornicroft, G., Machando, D., & Kidia, K. (2018). Mental health of incarcerated people: a global call to action. The Lancet Psychiatry, 5(5), 391-392. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(18)30127-5
Kidia, K., Machando, D., Mangezi, W., Hendler, R., Crooks, M., Abas, M., Chibanda, D., Thornicroft, G., Semrau, M., & Jack, H. (2017). Mental health in Zimbabwe: a health systems analysis. The lancet. Psychiatry, 4(11), 876–886. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(17)30128-1
Kidia, K., Machando, D., Bere, T., Macpherson, K., Nyamayaro, P., Potter, L., Makadzange, T., Munjoma, R., Marufu, M., Araya, R., Safren, S., O'Cleirigh, C., Chibanda, D., & Abas, M. (2015). 'I was thinking too much': experiences of HIV-positive adults with common mental disorders and poor adherence to antiretroviral therapy in Zimbabwe. Tropical medicine & international health : TM & IH, 20(7), 903–913. https://doi.org/10.1111/tmi.12502
Fernando, S., Brown, T., Datta, K., Chidhanguro, D., Tavengwa, N. V., Chandna, J., ... & Prendergast, A. J. (2021). The Friendship Bench as a brief psychological intervention with peer support in rural Zimbabwean women: a mixed methods pilot evaluation. Global Mental Health, 8, e31. https://doi.org/10.1017/gmh.2021.32
Luhrmann, T. M., Alderson-Day, B., Chen, A., Corlett, P., Deeley, Q., Dupuis, D., Lifshitz, M., Moseley, P., Peters, E., Powell, A., & Powers, A. (2023). Learning to Discern the Voices of Gods, Spirits, Tulpas, and the Dead. Schizophrenia bulletin, 49(12 Suppl 2), S3–S12. https://doi.org/10.1093/schbul/sbac005
Kidia, D. O. (2024). Empire of madness: Reimagining Western mental health care for everyone. North Atlantic Books.

CE Process Info

Content

Recording

1 parts
- Webinar Recording

Joint Accreditation (JA)

In support of improving patient care, CE Learning Systems is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
American Psychological Association (APA)

Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship of the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP office maintains responsibility for the content of the programs.
New York Education Department's State Board for Social Work (NYEDSW)

CE Learning Systems, LLC (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #0060.
New York Education Department Board of Creative Arts Therapy (NYSEDCAT)

CE Learning Systems, LLC (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board of Creative Arts Therapy as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #CAT-0008
New York Education Department for Licensed Mental Health Counselors (NYSEDLMHC)

CE Learning Systems, LLC (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0072.
New York Education Department Board for Licensed Psychoanalysts (NYSEDLP)

CE Learning Systems, LLC (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychoanalysts as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #P-0031.
New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology (NYEDPSY)

CE Learning Systems, LLC (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #PSY-0016.
New York Education Department's State Board for Marriage and Family Therapy (NYEDMFT)

CE Learning Systems, LLC (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Marriage and Family Therapy as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MFT-0045.

Empire of Madness: Reimagining Western Mental Health Care for Everyone

About this course

Learning Objectives

Learning Levels

Course Instructor(s)

Disclosure

References

CE Process Info

Content

Joint Accreditation (JA)

American Psychological Association (APA)

New York Education Department's State Board for Social Work (NYEDSW)

New York Education Department Board of Creative Arts Therapy (NYSEDCAT)

New York Education Department for Licensed Mental Health Counselors (NYSEDLMHC)

New York Education Department Board for Licensed Psychoanalysts (NYSEDLP)

New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology (NYEDPSY)

New York Education Department's State Board for Marriage and Family Therapy (NYEDMFT)

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