Mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community. It is an integral component of health and well-being in consonance with Sustainable Development Goal 3; which underpins our individual and collective abilities to make decisions, build relationships and shape the world we live in. Mental health is a basic human right. And it is crucial to personal, community, and socio-economic development.

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Mental health is more than the absence of mental disorders. It exists on a complex continuum, experienced differently from one person to the next, with varying degrees of difficulty and distress and potentially very different social and clinical outcomes.

By 2030, reduce by one-third premature mortality from noncommunicable diseases through prevention and treatment, and promote mental health and well-being. Strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol.

DETERMINANTS OF MENTAL HEALTH

Throughout our lives, multiple individuals, social and structural determinants may combine to protect or undermine our mental health and shift our position on the mental health continuum.

Individual psychological and biological factors such as emotional skills, substance use and genetics can make people more vulnerable to mental health problems.

Exposure to unfavorable social, economic, geopolitical, and environmental circumstances – including poverty, violence, inequality, and environmental deprivation – also increases people’s risk of experiencing mental health conditions.

PROMOTION OF MENTAL HEALTH AND THE ROLE OF STAKEHOLDERS

Promotion and prevention interventions work by identifying the individual, social and structural determinants of mental health, and then intervening to reduce risks, build resilience and establish supportive environments for mental health. Interventions can be designed for individuals, specific groups, or whole populations.

Reshaping the determinants of mental health often requires action beyond the health sector and so promotion and prevention programmes should involve the education, labour, justice, transport, environment, housing, and welfare sectors. The health sector can contribute significantly by embedding promotion and prevention efforts within health services; and by advocating, initiating and, where appropriate, facilitating multisectoral collaboration and coordination.

1. First and foremost, stakeholders must be committed and ensure the full implementation of the Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan from 2013-2030; which aims to improve mental health by strengthening effective leadership and governance, providing comprehensive, integrated and responsive community-based care, implementing promotion and prevention strategies, and strengthening information systems, evidence and research.

2. Stakeholders must be willing to give particular emphasis to protecting and promoting human rights, empowering people with lived experience and ensuring a multisectoral and multistakeholder approach. Here as a businessman man, l thereby say, l want someone among you to develop how to build the human capital index of Kintampo North. I will be willing to fund and support it to the latter.

3. Last but not the least, stakeholders must continue to work nationally and internationally – including in humanitarian settings – to provide governments and partners with the strategic leadership, evidence, tools and technical support to strengthen a collective response to mental health and enable a transformation towards better mental health for all.

For us to promote mental health adequately and effectively, your support counts. Tell someone sitting close to you that it’s time to make an impact on mental health.