Background Research feeds development, and vice versa. The level of research in developing countries often reflects the state of their economies and is consequently very low. A first step in addressing the gap between need and action in medical research is to document the level of extant research activities in these countries. Methods Using various methods of tracking, including the use of electronic databases, key informants, and
snowballing techniques, followed by a questionnaire survey, we identified active researchers, research users,
and other stakeholders as well as published research products both in formal and informal sources.
Results Relative to their populations, all the countries have very few researchers in mental health. Females
were particularly under-represented. Researchers were often isolated and with minimal cross-national collaboration or contacts with fellow
researchers. Most were working with little or no policy direction as to areas of health needs. Personal research agendas seem to dominate rather than any commonly agreed national targets. Even though some researchers were motivated by a need to address
identified burden of illness, many were influenced mainly by personal careers. Research resources, including requisite training, funds, and library
support, were deficient. Consequently, research outputs were low relative to the population and often of poor quality. Findings suggest that policies were hardly influenced by research
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