Is a new global mental health agenda needed?

A new global mental health agenda is needed, according to researchers at the University of Cape Town.

In order for mental health to receive the attention and funding it needs from policy makers, people must become convinced that there are cost-effective interventions available, a new paper asserts.

Steps must also be taken to convince people that cognitive conditions pose a high disease burden, on par with physical ailments.

Mark Tomlinson and Crick Lund, authors of the study, claim that demonstrating the social and economic impact of mental health will be key in creating a new agenda to improve the lives of those with the condition.

"A coherent evidence base for scalable interventions that can be shown to have an impact at the structural level - on economic development and human well-being - is central. This is the language of most policy makers," the authors stated.

By reconceptualising the condition in the language of policy makers, it is hoped that mental health will receive greater attention globally.

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