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The importance of mental health in the Sustainable Development Goals

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Nicole Votruba  and
Graham Thornicroft
Nicole Votruba
Affiliation:
FundaMentalSDG initiative, Maudsley International, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK
Graham Thornicroft
Affiliation:
Centre for Global Mental Health, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK, email graham.thornicroft@kcl.ac.uk
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Abstract

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The United Nations' draft Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) only briefly mention mental health. In the context of a growing burden of disease due to mental disorders and psychosocial disabilities, the inclusion of a clear mental health target and indicators in the SDGs will acknowledge the needs and rights of hundreds of millions of people. It will mobilise international funding and policy development, and support other SDGs; it will also strengthen mental health structures, governance and services in low- and middle-income countries. We argue that for a just, sustainable and inclusive post-2015 development agenda, it is vital that the United Nations includes a clear mental health target and indicators in the SDGs.

Type
Guest Editorial
Information
BJPsych International , Volume 12 , Issue 1 , February 2015 , pp. 2 - 4
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists 2015

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