Lancet commission on global mental health launches

This World Mental Health Day, the Lancet Commission on Global Mental Health and Sustainable Development launched at the Global Ministerial Mental Health Summit in London. The Commission’s landmark report sets out how good mental health can be achieved across the world, based on the latest ideas and innovations.

Worldwide one in four people will have a mental health condition at some point in their life, and every 40 seconds someone dies by suicide. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among 15-29 year-olds worldwide, and mental ill health currently costs the world 2.5 trillion dollars per year.

Around the world two in three people won’t get any treatment for their mental ill health, despite mental health conditions being preventable or treatable. Because of a lack of funding, as well as stigma and discrimination around mental health conditions globally, most of the two billion people who will have a mental health issue in their lifetimes will have no support.

The launch event featured a presentation by Commission Joint Lead Editor, Professor Vikram Patel of the Harvard Medical School, followed by a panel discussion with Commissioners Helen Herrman and Charlene Sunkel and Young Leader Grace Gatera, concluding with final remarks by Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Canada’s Minister of Health.

The Commission has brought together 28 global experts in psychiatry, public health, neuroscience and advocacy, as well as people with first-hand experience of mental health conditions. The blueprint for action outlined in the report is designed to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

“Mental health is the foundation of human capability that makes each life worthwhile and meaningful. It is for this reason that there can be no sustainable development without attention to mental health,” said Commission Joint Lead Editor, Professor Vikram Patel of the Harvard Medical School.

Find out more about the Commission at www.globalmentalhealthcommission.org