Lancet Commission 2018: Global Mental Health and Sustainable Development

This Commission report by The Lancet reassesses the global mental health agenda in the context of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, which was adopted by the international community in 2015 and established 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to address global challenges through economic, social, and environmental progress. While substantial advances have been made in mental health research, the translation of those findings into real-world effects has been slow, and the global burden of mental disorders has risen in all countries in the context of major demographic, environmental, and sociopolitical transitions. Human rights violations and abuses against individuals with mental disorders persist, the quality of mental health services is routinely worse than for those related to physical health, and mental health remains woefully underfunded by governments and the international community.

The SDGs present an opportunity to reframe and broaden the mental health agenda with an emphasis on four foundational principles: mental health is a global public good and is relevant to sustainable development in all countries; mental health problems exist along a continuum of severity and complexity; the mental health of each individual is the product of both biological and socio-environmental factors; and mental health is a human right whose fulfillment requires a rights-based approach to protect the welfare of people suffering from or at risk of mental disorders. The Commission identifies six key actions required to achieve the new mental health agenda, and proposes a broad, integrated set of indicators to monitor progress for mental health in the SDG era.