Declaration on mental health in Africa: moving to implementation.

Journal: Global health action

Volume: 7

Issue: 

Year of Publication: 2015

Affiliated Institutions:  Dalla Lana School of Public Health and Department of Surgery, University of Toronto and Grand Challenges Canada, Toronto, Canada; a.daar@utoronto.ca. Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa. Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden. Strategic Initiatives, Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study, Stellenbosch, South Africa. CBM International, West Africa Regional Office, Lomé, Togo. Centre for Global Mental Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK; Sangath Centre, Provorim, Goa, India. Mental Health Department, Center for Applied Psychology and Psychometric Tests, Ministry of Health, Mozambique. Department of Psychology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa. Gender & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Pretoria, South Africa; Department of Psychiatry & Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa. Awareness, Advocacy & Communications Officer, Central Gauteng Mental Health Society, Johannesburg, South Africa. Office of the Director General, National Department of Health, Pretoria, South Africa. Cape Mental Health, Observatory, South Africa. Department of Psychiatry, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya; Africa Mental Health Foundation, Montreal, Canada.

Abstract summary 

Urgent action is needed to address mental health issues globally. In Africa, where mental health disorders account for a huge burden of disease and disability, and where in general less than 1% of the already small health budgets are spent on these disorders, the need for action is acute and urgent. Members of the World Health Organization, including African countries, have adopted a Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan. Africa now has an historic opportunity to improve the mental health and wellbeing of its citizens, beginning with provision of basic mental health services and development of national mental health strategic plans (roadmaps). There is need to integrate mental health into primary health care and address stigma and violations of human rights. We advocate for inclusion of mental health into the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals, and for the convening of a special UN General Assembly High Level Meeting on Mental Health within three years.

Authors & Co-authors:  Daar Jacobs Wall Groenewald Eaton Patel dos Santos Kagee Gevers Sunkel Andrews Daniels Ndetei

Study Outcome 

Source Link: Visit source

Statistics
Citations :  Patel V, Belkin G, Chockalingam A, Cooper J, Saxena S, Unützer J. Grand challenges: integrating mental health services into priority health care platforms. PLoS Med. 2013;10:e1001448.
Authors :  13
Identifiers
Doi : 10.3402/gha.v7.24589
SSN : 1654-9880
Study Population
Male,Female
Mesh Terms
Africa South of the Sahara
Other Terms
Africa;UN General Assembly;WHO action plan;basic services;human rights;implementation;mental health;policy;post-2015 Agenda;roadmap;stigma
Study Design
Study Approach
Country of Study
Publication Country
United States