Articles on Mental Health and the
​UN Sustainable Development Agenda 

This is a selection of articles and documents on mental health and the SDGs:

• Mental Illness: Breaking the Silence. Victoria Baux/ Aljazeera, 26.10.15
• The Chains of Mental Illness in West Africa. Benedict Careyoct/ The New York Times, 11.10.15
• The United Nations must acknowledge that mental health is a development goal. Patrick J Kennedy & Kathleen M Pike/ The Guardian, 02.09.15
• A post-2015 development agenda that leaves nobody behind must include mental health. Nicole Votruba, 087.09.15
• Want a safer, more prosperous world? Invest in mental health. Kathleen M. Pike, 18.08.15
• Non communicable diseases a major threat in 21st Century. Kenneth Simbaya, 19.07.15
• Global Reference List of 100 Core Health Indicators, WHO 2015
• View on Disability: SDGs lack mental health ambition. Aamna Mohdin, 03.07.15

• Inequitable and Ineffective: Exclusion of Mental Health from the Post-2015 Development Agenda. Alexander C. Tsai, Mark Tomlinson/ PLoS Med 12(6)e, 30.06.15
• Indicators and a Monitoring Framework for the Sustainable Development Goals. Launching a data revolution for the SDGs. UNSDSN 12.06.15
• Future Psychologists: Impacting The Sustainable Development Goals And Global Issues. Angelina Akhvlediani/ SI UN Representative, 08.06.15

• Millennium development goals: lessons for global mental health. Graham Thornicroft, Nicole Votruba/ Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences. p. 1-3, Mai 2015

• Information systems for global mental health. Grace Ryan, Mary De Silva, Jimin Simon Terver, Ode Philip Ochi, Julian Eaton/ Lancet Psychiatry 2/5: 372–373, May 2015.

• Mental health a challenge in post-conflict areas. Felix Oketcho/ The Observer, 24.03.15
• Include mental health in UN millennium goals: expert. Radhakrishan Kuttoor/ The Hindu, 12.03.15

• Comprehensive SDG goal and targets for non-communicable diseases and mental health. Minas et al./ International Journal of Mental Health Systems 2015, 9:12. 
• The importance of mental health in the Sustainable Development Goals. Nicole Votruba & Graham Thornicroft/ BJ Psych, 12/1, 2015.

• Depression and anxiety common among children. The Peninsular, Quatar, 03.03.15

• Asia-pacific ready to act on mental health target in the SDGs. Harry Minase, Takashi Izutsu, Atsuro Tsutsumi, Ritsuko Kakuma, Alan D Lopez/ The Lancet Psychiatry, March 2015
• Strengthening mental health systems in low and middle income countries. Valentina Iemmi/ LSE Blog, 26.02.15

• Nuestra salud mental. Moisés Rozanes Tassler/ Diario de Colima, 19.02.15
• Redefining Mental Illness. Tanya Luhrmann/ The New York Times, 17.02.15

• 10 health priorities for 2015. Nata Menabdem/ The Hindu Business Line, 09.02.15
• Strengthening Mental Health in UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Nicole Votruba, Graham Thornicroft, Vikram Patel, Paul Summergrad, 29.01.15
• Darkness Invisible. The Hidden Global Costs of Mental Illness. Thomas R. Insel, Pamela Y. Collins, and Steven E. Hyman/ Foreign Affairs Jan/Feb 2014, 22.12.14

• Global Mental Health Crisis Needs Action Not Just Recognition. Chris Underhill, 08.12.14
• Addressing mental health globally. KCL Institute of Psychiatry, 04.12.14
• My Vulnerable 3-Minute Talk at the UN About Depression, Sustainable Development and Hope. Kathry Goetzke/ Huffington Post, 03.12.14

• The Road to Dignity by 2030: Ending Poverty, Transforming All Lives and Protecting the Planet. Synthesis Report of the United Nations Secretary-General on the Post-2015 Agenda, 04.12.14
• Mental well-being, disability and development: toward accessible and inclusive sustainable development goals - Panel discussion. United Nations, Commemoration of International Day of Persons with Disabilities at United Nations Headquarters, 03.12.14
• Mental Health for Sustainable Development. Report of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Global Health. Mary de Silva, Jonty Rowland, et al. Launched on 26.11.14 in the UK Parliament
• The Time to Act Is Now; Help Create a Global Movement for Mental Health Kathryn Goetzke, 26.11.14

• The Global Crisis of Depression, Kofi Annan, at the Economist Group's Global Crisis of Depression Conference, London, 25.11.14

• Kofi Annan calls for the tackling of depression to be made a global priority. Kofi Annan calls for the tackling of depression to be made a global priority. James Kingsland/ The Guardian, 25.11.14

• Global mental health from a policy perspective: a context analysis. Characterising mental health and recommending engagement strategies for the Mental Health Innovation Network. Jessica Mackenzie/ Overseas Development Institute ODI, 26.11.14

• Visualizing the most neglected disease: Mental illness, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) 
• Health equity and mental health in post-2015 sustainable development goals, Oye Gureje & Graham Thornicroft, on behalf of the FundaMentalSDG Group/ The Lancet Psychiatry, 26.11.14

• No Sustainable Development Without Mental Health (and Vice Versa). Ananda Galappatti/ Mental Health Innovation, Network, 21.11.14

• The importance of global mental health for the Sustainable Development Goals, Nicole Votruba, Julian Eaton, Martin Prince and Graham Thornicroft/ J Ment Health, November 2014; 23(6): 283–286

• Why mental health hasn't gone mainstream. Jessica Mackenzie/ Overseas Development Institute ODI, 10.11.14

• Good mental health - of fundaMental importance to the SDGs Jessica Mackenzie/ Overseas Development Institute ODI, UNA-UK, 10.11.14
• Why should Mental Health Targets be included in Sustainable Development Goals? John Minto/ The Health Reporters Online, 9.10.14
• Finally we are here…mental health is getting closer to the global stage Chris Underhill/ BasicNeeds  
• IoPPN backs campaign to make mental health a UN development goal, 25.09.14
• The famous English actor Stephen Fry has tweeted about our initiative: "Do look at the amazing film on human rights and #mentalhealth for #FundaMentalSDG at http://goo.gl/SGy7k7  and show your support." 
• The Lancet Psychiatry has tweeted about us:"#fundamentalFDG aims to put mental health onto the world's agenda. Site—with upsetting images—here http://www.fundamentalsdg.org  @FundaMentalSDG"
• #FundaMentalSDG Press release (09 September 2014): International Leaders unite under #FundamentalSDG to create Global Movement in Inclusion of Mental Health in the United Nations (UN) Post 2015 Development Agenda
• Mental health report: the crisis at home and abroad, The Week magazine, 09.09.14

• 'Why is mental health such a low priority for the UN?' Graham Thornicroft, Vikram Patel/ The Guardian, 02.09.14

• 'Treating mental illness is a global task, say experts' Charlie Cooper/ The Independent, 31.08.14
• 'Mental health: a worthwhile goal', Editor's choice, Trevor Jackson deputy editor/ The BMJ, 21.08.14

• 'Including mental health among the new sustainable development goals: The case is compelling' Prof. Graham Thornicroft, Prof. Vikram Patel/The BMJ, 20.08.14

• A position statement on mental health in the post-2015 development agenda Julian Eaton, Ritsuko Kakuma, Alexandra Wright & Harry Minas/ International Journal of Mental Health Systems 2014, 8:28
• United Nations Enable. Website of the United Nations on Disabilities
• Open Working Group proposal for Sustainable Development Goals. United Nations Open Working Group, 19.07.14

Tweets by @FundaMentalSDG

BMJ Editor's Choice: Mental health: a worthwhile goal (2014)

Thornicroft, Patel (BMJ): Including mental health among the new sustainable development goals (2014)

No longer can we look away, by Robin Hammond.

Nao podemos mais desviar o olhar, de Robin Hammon

The 2014 Ebola Outbreak and Mental Health. Current Status and Recommended Response.

Breaking the Chains
The Indonesian government is committed to eradicating the practice of pasung, physically restraining people with a mental illness. The confronting new documentary "Breaking the Chains" explores pasung and the efforts of social activists to stop it.

#FundaMentalSDG: Policy briefing paper for governments (2014)

Typhoon Haiyan leaves mentally ill caged and alone 
This film by Simon Rawles and Vishva Samani, shows the situation of mentally ill people, shackled in cages by their families in the Philippines. The people were discovered by local organisations searching for vulnerable survivors in the aftermath of typhoon Haiyan.