Mental health service provision varies enormously across the world and faces major challenges, largely determined by the contexts in which it functions. A variety of services exist side by side in lowincome countries. They include services provided in the statutory and private (feepaying) sectors, therapies provided by physicians working within indigenous systems of medicine, healing provided at religious locations and services provided by nongovernmental organisations. This paper provides a brief survey of some recent literature on mental health in lowincome countries and goes on to describe a few examples of innovative projects in these countries. The paper concludes by outlining some of the challenges faced by these countries in providing services in the modern world. © 2005, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Mental health Indigenous therapies Nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) Lowincome countries

[No Keywords available]