Mental health experts have hailed an investment of more than $19m (£11.9m; €14.7m) for projects aimed at improving mental health in developing countries.

Grand Challenges Canada, a donor body funded by the Canadian government, invited proposals for projects that would increase access, improve treatment, and reduce stigma among people with mental health disorders in developing countries. The organisation has announced that 15 projects in 14 countries will share the money.

Peter Singer, chief executive of Grand Challenges Canada, said that mental health was the most “neglected of neglected diseases.” World Health Organization data show that 75% of people with mental health disorders live in low or middle income countries and that most of these people do …