The Challenge
One in four people globally experience mental health illness, from depression and anxiety to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Poor mental health costs $2.5 trillion a year in lost productivity and poor physical health, yet low-income countries spend around 0.5 percent of their health budget on mental health and high-income countries spend around 5.1 percent. Mental health advocates around the world are creating a call to action to encourage governments and multilateral organisations to meet this need.
The Approach
Ensuring access to compassionate and quality mental health services is not just a health issue but also a human rights matter. GHS is committed to putting its full weight behind ensuring mental health for all. During 2017 and 2018, we helped incubate United for Global Mental Health (United GMH), a new organisation using advocacy, policy and campaigning to promote mental health worldwide.
The Impact
During major moments, GHS worked with United GMH to launch the Lancet Commission on Global Mental Health and Sustainable Development and organise a breakthrough UN General Assembly side event that brought government leaders together to commit to act on mental health. Working to uplift the voices of people with lived experience, advocates and civil society organisations at the local and country levels, GHS is also proud to support the new Speak Your Mind campaign.
HRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with United for Global Mental Health CEO Elisha London on the ‘Friendship Bench’.
Speakers at the 2018 ‘Time To Act’ side event at the UN General Assembly, including Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus; Cynthia Germanotta, Lady Gaga’s mom and Co-Founder of the Born This Way Foundation; together with health ministers.
Professor Vikram Patel at the worldwide launch of the Lancet Commission Global Mental Health.
United for Global Mental Health CEO Elisha London at the 2018 ‘Time To Act’ side event at the UN General Assembly.