Mental health as one of the biggest challenges in the 21st century

Abstract

Mental health and wellbeing is a key challenge of the 21st century, due to the increasing burden of mental illnesses on the society and the impact of mental wellbeing on the economy. The World Health Organization (WHO) now classifies mental health promotion in noncommunicable disease (NCD) prevention, and sets out a number of mental health indicators and targets to assess progress. WHO presents four objectives, each supported by a number of evidence based strategies to achieve the targets. We herewith publish some key concepts and strategies which may contribute to objective 3, ie., to implement strategies for promotion and prevention in mental health. In the forthcoming series of five publications, we focus on the key topics of mental health literacy; the impact of environmental factors on mental health, especially housing; some techniques of preventing stress and burnout syndrome; childhood depression; and, finally, childhood and adolescence crisis and suicidal behavior.