Mental illness is the leading cause of disability worldwide. Mental health is the strongest predictor of well-being. WHO’s mission is to promote the highest possible level of mental health for all people. The Global Clinical Practice Network answers WHO’s call to action to realize this goal and reduce the burden of mental and behavioural disorders around the world. The Network brings together global standards and local expertise in training, research and clinical care. Our Network is a meeting place for professionals from around the world with the ultimate mission of improving mental health care and services at the local level, which translates into a healthier population globally.

Improving mental health globally requires that we all speak the same language and that we agree on what defines mental health conditions and the appropriate targets of mental health interventions. WHO’s International Classification of Diseases is the global standard for defining and reporting of health conditions. In the last 125 years, there have been 10 revisions of the ICD, and WHO is now in the midst of developing the Eleventh Revision (ICD-11). As a part of this effort, the WHO Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse is using the power of the internet to involve clinicians around the world in the revision. Through the ICD revision process, GCP.Network has honed and initiated a platform for unprecedented data collection and research dissemination on a global scale.

GCP.Network includes over 12 942 clinicians from 151 countries, who have been working with the WHO Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse since 2011 on studies that are informing the development of the ICD-11. GCP.Network links clinicians on the ground and around the globe, working to improve clinical care and health systems for mental and behavioural disorders.

Members of GCP.Network are involved in the implementation of global field studies of the WHO ICD-11 Diagnostic Guidelines for Mental and Behavioural Disorders. GCP.Network members have access to resources and training to advance their own clinical skills. GCP.Network is a global network of professionals who, through the integration of science and practice, are leading change and improving mental health care worldwide.

GCP.Network will continue to contribute to the development of the ICD-11 through its approval by the World Health Assembly, planned for 2018. At the same time, GCP.Network is expanding to realize its broader potential. By building international research capacity, GCP.Network will have the ability to take priority issues into the field. GCP.Network will serve as a catalyst for scientific and clinical research collaborations, sharing best practices in both research methodology and clinical care and management.