title: Declaration on mental health in Africa: moving to implementation.
abstract: Urgent action is needed to address mental health issues globally. In Africa, where mental health disorders account for a huge burden of disease and disability, and where in general less than 1% of the already small health budgets are spent on these disorders, the need for action is acute and urgent. Members of the World Health Organization, including African countries, have adopted a Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan. Africa now has an historic opportunity to improve the mental health and wellbeing of its citizens, beginning with provision of basic mental health services and development of national mental health strategic plans (roadmaps). There is need to integrate mental health into primary health care and address stigma and violations of human rights. We advocate for inclusion of mental health into the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals, and for the convening of a special UN General Assembly High Level Meeting on Mental Health within three years.
authors.affiliation: Dalla Lana School of Public Health and Department of Surgery, University of Toronto and Grand Challenges Canada, Toronto, Canada; a.daar@utoronto.ca.
authors.forename: Abdallah S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Daar
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Marian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Stig
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wall
authors.affiliation: Strategic Initiatives, Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
authors.forename: Johann
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Groenewald
authors.affiliation: CBM International, West Africa Regional Office, Lomé, Togo.
authors.forename: Julian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Eaton
authors.affiliation: Centre for Global Mental Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK; Sangath Centre, Provorim, Goa, India.
authors.forename: Vikram
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Department, Center for Applied Psychology and Psychometric Tests, Ministry of Health, Mozambique.
authors.forename: Palmira
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: dos Santos
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
authors.forename: Ashraf
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kagee
authors.affiliation: Gender & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Pretoria, South Africa; Department of Psychiatry & Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Anik
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gevers
authors.affiliation: Awareness, Advocacy & Communications Officer, Central Gauteng Mental Health Society, Johannesburg, South Africa.
authors.forename: Charlene
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sunkel
authors.affiliation: Office of the Director General, National Department of Health, Pretoria, South Africa.
authors.forename: Gail
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Andrews
authors.affiliation: Cape Mental Health, Observatory, South Africa.
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Daniels
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya; Africa Mental Health Foundation, Montreal, Canada.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ndetei
mesh_terms: D017954:Africa South of the Sahara / Q000453:epidemiology; D006285:Health Planning; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy; D008603:Mental Health; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration
keywords: Africa; UN General Assembly; WHO action plan; basic services; human rights; implementation; mental health; policy; post-2015 Agenda; roadmap; stigma