Sustainable development and mental health - leaving nobody behind
Category: Speakers
Proposed Symposium Title: Sustainable development and mental health - leaving nobody behind
Learning Objectives: To understand the nature of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
To understand their relevance for mental health
Abstract: In 2015 the United Nations have included mental health in the new SDGs and stressed mental health as a topic for global development. Mental health has strong and relevant cross-cutting influences across many of the new SDGs.
In the SDGs, three targets directly refer to mental health: reduction of premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through mental health (3.4); prevention and treatment of substance abuse (3.5); and universal health coverage (3.8). These targets are in line with WHO work on universal health coverage.
This talk will describe the UN SDGs relevant directly and indirectly to mental health and discuss the relevance and potential utility of SDGs to achievieng better global mental health.
Key References or Resources: 1. Thornicroft G, Patel V. Including mental health among the new sustainable development goals. BMJ. 2014;349:g5189.
2. Votruba N, Eaton J, Prince M, Thornicroft G. The importance of global mental health for the Sustainable Development Goals. J Ment Health. 2014;23(6):283-6.
3. Votruba N, Thornicroft G, FundaMental SDGSG. Sustainable development goals and mental health: learnings from the contribution of the FundaMentalSDG global initiative. Glob Ment Health (Camb). 2016;3:e26.
4. Thornicroft G, Voruba N. Does the United Nations Care about Mental Health? The importance of the Sustainable Development Goals. Lancet Psychiatry. 2016;(in press).
5. Gureje O, Thornicroft G. Health equity and mental health in post-2015 sustainable development goals. The lancet Psychiatry. 2015;2(1):12-4.
