This global awareness campaign addresses the continuing need to “make mental health issues a global priority.” Mental illnesses do not discriminate according to culture or age, and an individual’s mental health is an integral aspect of overall health and well being. There is a growing body of knowledge on the benefits of integrating mental health into primary care settings. This integration would align the diagnosis, treatment, and care of mental illnesses with the mainstream health care system, alleviating the problems associated with the current separation of physical health and mental health care.
The theme of this year’s campaign is intended to draw worldwide attention to the growing body of knowledge on integration which emphasizes the benefits of enhancing overall health
and promoting mental health by integrating healthcare services. World Mental Health Day 2009 aims to provide consumers, families, and advocacy associations around the world
with accessible information on this topic. Involving consumers at a grassroots level in the process of healthcare integration will strengthen the message that mental health is integral to good overall health and it is imperative that appropriate services are provided for everyone who needs them, regardless of where they receive those services. During this time of healthcare reform it is critical that advocates are well informed on these important integration issues. We can be influential in ensuring that people living with mental illnesses receive the same level of priority within the general and primary health care system.
The release in September 2008, of “Integrating Mental Health into Primary Care: A Global Perspective” by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Organization
of Family Doctors (Wonca) signaled a major step in fostering a global effort to integrate mental health into primary care. In the publication’s introductory message, WHO Director General Dr. Margaret Chan and Wonca President Professor Chris van Weel state the case for such an effort:
“Primary care starts with people. And, integrating mental health services into primary care is the most viable way of ensuring that people have access to the mental health care they need. People can access mental health services closer to their homes, thus keeping families together and maintaining their daily activities. In addition, they avoid indirect costs associated with seeking specialist care in distant locations. Mental health care delivered in primary
care minimize stigma and discrimination, and remove the risk of human rights violations that occur in psychiatric hospitals. And, as this report will show, integrating mental health services into primary care generates good health outcomes at reasonable costs. Nonetheless, general primary care systems must be strengthened before mental health integration can be reasonably expected to flourish.” (Integrating mental health into primary care: A global perspective; © World Health Organization and World Organization of Family Doctors (Wonca), 2008, page vii)
World Mental Health Day 2009, will highlight the opportunities and challenges that integrating mental health services into the primary health care delivery system will present not only to people living with poor mental health, their families and caregivers, but also to healthcare professionals and providers. As always, the campaign will focus on the critical role that mental health advocacy organizations, along with patient/ service user groups, need to play in shaping this major general health and mental health reform movement. Such informed proactive and sustained advocacy will be necessary if the movement toward integration is to result in improved access to affordable services that are of adequate quality for people experiencing mental illnesses and emotional health problems the world over. The global mental health community has learned from previous reform attempts that achieving parity in the delivery of mental health services around the world is a struggle. The effective integration of mental health into primary care at a level of priority appropriate to the documented burden of disease for mental illnesses will be a major undertaking in a time of global economic and social difficulty. However, it is well past time for the world to listen to and act on this call to improve mental health services.
Thomas H. Bornemann, Ed.D.
Director, the Carter Center Mental Health Program
MORE INFORMATION LOG ON: http://www.wfmh.org
http://www.who.int/topics/mental_health/en/index.html
The theme of this year’s campaign is intended to draw worldwide attention to the growing body of knowledge on integration which emphasizes the benefits of enhancing overall health
and promoting mental health by integrating healthcare services. World Mental Health Day 2009 aims to provide consumers, families, and advocacy associations around the world
with accessible information on this topic. Involving consumers at a grassroots level in the process of healthcare integration will strengthen the message that mental health is integral to good overall health and it is imperative that appropriate services are provided for everyone who needs them, regardless of where they receive those services. During this time of healthcare reform it is critical that advocates are well informed on these important integration issues. We can be influential in ensuring that people living with mental illnesses receive the same level of priority within the general and primary health care system.
The release in September 2008, of “Integrating Mental Health into Primary Care: A Global Perspective” by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Organization
of Family Doctors (Wonca) signaled a major step in fostering a global effort to integrate mental health into primary care. In the publication’s introductory message, WHO Director General Dr. Margaret Chan and Wonca President Professor Chris van Weel state the case for such an effort:
“Primary care starts with people. And, integrating mental health services into primary care is the most viable way of ensuring that people have access to the mental health care they need. People can access mental health services closer to their homes, thus keeping families together and maintaining their daily activities. In addition, they avoid indirect costs associated with seeking specialist care in distant locations. Mental health care delivered in primary
care minimize stigma and discrimination, and remove the risk of human rights violations that occur in psychiatric hospitals. And, as this report will show, integrating mental health services into primary care generates good health outcomes at reasonable costs. Nonetheless, general primary care systems must be strengthened before mental health integration can be reasonably expected to flourish.” (Integrating mental health into primary care: A global perspective; © World Health Organization and World Organization of Family Doctors (Wonca), 2008, page vii)
World Mental Health Day 2009, will highlight the opportunities and challenges that integrating mental health services into the primary health care delivery system will present not only to people living with poor mental health, their families and caregivers, but also to healthcare professionals and providers. As always, the campaign will focus on the critical role that mental health advocacy organizations, along with patient/ service user groups, need to play in shaping this major general health and mental health reform movement. Such informed proactive and sustained advocacy will be necessary if the movement toward integration is to result in improved access to affordable services that are of adequate quality for people experiencing mental illnesses and emotional health problems the world over. The global mental health community has learned from previous reform attempts that achieving parity in the delivery of mental health services around the world is a struggle. The effective integration of mental health into primary care at a level of priority appropriate to the documented burden of disease for mental illnesses will be a major undertaking in a time of global economic and social difficulty. However, it is well past time for the world to listen to and act on this call to improve mental health services.
Thomas H. Bornemann, Ed.D.
Director, the Carter Center Mental Health Program
MORE INFORMATION LOG ON: http://www.wfmh.org
http://www.who.int/topics/mental_health/en/index.html
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