Dr Alex Cohen BA MA PhD
- LSHTM
- Keppel Street
- London
- WC1E 7HT
- T: +14135863970
- F: +14135862344
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I am an anthropologist with a primary interest in sociocultural and environmental influences on the mental health of populations. I have conducted ethnographic research on how social worlds shaped the emotions and behaviors of homeless mentally ill persons living in the Skid Row district of Los Angeles, published literature reviews on the mental health of indigenous people and the course and outcome of schizophrenia in low and middle income countries, examined the influence of adult literacy programs on the mental health of women in India, and lead epidemiological research on social inequalities in response to treatment for late-life depression. In the area of global mental health policy and services, my work includes a monograph on mental health services in primary care and two case books of mental health programs in low-income countries. I also was a co-author of three papers in the Lancet series on global mental health.
Affiliation
- Department of Nutrition and Public Health Intervention Research
- Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health
Teaching
From 2001 to 2008, I was the academic director of the Training Program in International Mental Health (funded by the Fogarty International Center of the US NIH), which offered Chinese and Indonesian psychiatrists the opportunity to spend an academic year in the Department of Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School. During those years, I also helped to establish and taught in the International Mental Health Leadership Program in the Centre for International Mental Health, the University of Melbourne. I was one of the organisers of the Global Mental Health Module at LSHTM (2009 to 2012) and am now the co-Course Director of the new MSc in Global Mental Health.
Research
My current research includes two two pilot studies: 1) development of a set of methods to investigate the epidemiology, phenomenology, and course and outcome of psychosis in diverse settings; 2) background research to establish comprehensive services for people with psychosis in Ibadan, Nigeria. I am also continuing with secondary data analyses that examine social inequalities in response to treatment for late-life depression.
Research areas
- Complex interventions
- Ethnography
- Evaluation
- Health inequalities
- Health services research
- Primary care
- Social and structural determinants of health
Disciplines
- Anthropology
Disease and Health Conditions
- Mental health
Countries
- India
- Nigeria
- Trinidad and Tobago
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Selected publications
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Outcomes of people with psychotic disorders in a community-based rehabilitation programme in rural India
Chatterjee, S.; Pillai, A.; Jain, S.; Cohen, A.; Patel, V.
The British Journal of Psychiatry, 2009; 195(5):433-439
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Questioning an axiom: Better prognosis for schizophrenia in the developing world?
Cohen, A.; Patel, V.; Thara, R.; Gureje, O.
Schizophrenia Bulletin, 2008; 34(2):229-244
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Integrating evidence-based treatments for common mental disorders in routine primary care: feasibility and acceptability of the MANAS intervention in Goa, India.
Chatterjee, S.; Chowdhary, N.; Pednekar, S.; Cohen, A.; Andrew, G.; Andrew, G.; Araya, R.; Simon, G.; King, M.; Telles, S.; Verdeli, H.; Clougherty, K.; Kirkwood, B.; Patel, V.;
World Psychiatry, 2008; 7(1):39-46
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Treatment and prevention of mental disorders in low-income and middle-income countries.
Patel, V.; Araya, R.; Chatterjee, S.; Chisholm, D.; Cohen, A.; De Silva, M.; Hosman, C.; McGuire, H.; Rojas, G.; van Ommeren, M.;
Lancet, 2007; 370(9591):991-1005
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Barriers to improvement of mental health services in low-income and middle-income countries
Saraceno, B.; van Ommeren, M.; Batniji, R.; Cohen, A.; Gureje, O.; Mahoney, J.; Sridhar, D.; Underhill, C.
Lancet, 2007; 370(9593):1164-74
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Making sense of evidence
Cohen, A.; Gureje, O.
International Review of Psychiatry, 2007; 19(5):583-591
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Social inequalities in response to antidepressant treatment in older adults
Cohen, A.; Houck, P.R.; Szanto, K.; Dew, M.A.; Gilman, S.E.; Reynolds, C.F., III
Archives of General Psychiatry, 2006; 63(1):50-56
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The search for meaning: eventfulness in the lives of homeless mentally ill persons in the Skid Row district of Los Angeles.
Cohen, A.;
Cult Med Psychiatry, 2001; 25(3):277-96
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