New Countdown Aims To Strengthen Progress In Global Mental Health

The Lancet: Countdown Global Mental Health 2030
Shekhar Saxena, professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and colleagues

“…[W]e announce the establishment of Countdown Global Mental Health, an independent, multistakeholder monitoring and accountability collaboration for mental health, within an initial timeframe of the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). … Given the huge disparities between and within countries, we expect the Countdown to be a strong instrument for accountability to decrease population-level disparities for mental health. Why another Countdown? The main reason is that mental health is one of the most neglected of all health concerns with adverse consequences on individuals, families, societies, and countries. None of the existing Countdowns adequately reflect the unique nature and breadth of mental health. Countdown Global Mental Health will build on the work done by WHO through the Mental Health Atlas, Mental Health Action Plan, and other initiatives. It will also work closely with existing Countdowns to ensure cohesiveness and that mental health is integrated across other global health domains. … As the global community begins to mobilize resources towards addressing the goals of promoting mental health, preventing mental disorders, and providing quality care for people with mental health conditions, there is an urgent imperative for a comprehensive and transparent monitoring mechanism to catalyze global and national action and hold diverse actors accountable. Countdown Global Mental Health seeks to realize this aspiration” (2/21).

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