Decolonizing mental health: Rethinking implementation science from the ground up

Implementation science plays a crucial role in effectively translating scientific knowledge into sustainable, evidence-based health practices. This perspective article focuses on some Latin American experiences, highlighting the limitations of applying methodologies developed in the Global North to settings marked by structural inequalities, economic constraints and cultural diversity. The included experiences examine a range of programs, such as the national Breastfeeding and Feeding Strategy, the evaluation of the Triple P-Positive Parenting Program in Chile and the community component of Mental Health Gap Action Programme in Colombia. Other contributions explore professional training initiatives and offer critical reflections on frameworks, such as the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research and the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance. The reflections call for strengthening local capacities, fostering meaningful South-South and South-North collaborations, and advancing a context-sensitive, equity-oriented approach to implementation science that supports the development of more adaptive, effective and just health systems.