Psychiatrists can play a key role in identifying social pressures caused by the changing economic climate, according to a French campaigner.
In turn, doctors should ensure they do not over-treat patients whose symptoms may be caused by the society in which they live, according to Professor Jean Furtos.
The professor is hoping a world network of psychiatrists and policy-makers will emerge from a major conference taking place in Lyon, France, in the autumn.
Professor Furtos, of the Hospital Le Vinatier, Lyon, is head of the National Observatory of Practices in mental health and social insecurity and will be chairing the four day Congress of the Five Continents on the psycho-social effects of globalisation on mental health.
The conference has speakers and experts from around the world, including the UK clinical director of mental health Professor Louis Appleby.
Professor Furtos said he hoped the network would include psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and economists as well as policy-makers.
He said that recognising the social pressures on patients was part of good diagnosis, adding: "If you don’t do the right diagnostic, you cannot do the right therapeutic."
He cites examples such as high rates of suicide among Chinese women and among Indian farmers as illustrating how social conditions can impact dramatically on mental health.
He said: "Globalisation is a universal process, it is a natural economic and cultural effect and there are many excellent aspects to it. But some aspects are making us mad – and this is not only people who see psychiatrists.
"If you don’t have the knowledge that what you are observing may be of social origin, you will have the tendency to over-diagnose."
He said: "I hope there will be novel policy ideas from this. We know it will be extremely difficult."
Professor Furtos said the world in modern times seemed to be able to come together to cope with catastrophe and emergency – but not to deal with the problems that happen in between.
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