WHO Mental Health Forum 2019
The President of the Union for Mental Health of Russia Natalia Treushnikova attended the WHO Mental Health Forum 2019 that was held on 14-15 October in Zeneva. The Forum discussed progress on WHO’s Mental Health Action Plan in countries. The theme for the Mental Health Forum this year was “Enhancing Country Action on Mental Health,” reflecting the vision of WHO’s 13th General Programme of Work.
Highlights in this year’s programme included the following:
High-Level Segment: Mental Health on the Political Agenda
It was noted that mental health’s position on the political agenda has significantly risen over the last year. The Forum reviewed the progress, learned about new initiatives and discussed ways to enhance country action. The WHO Special Initiative for Mental Health (2019-2023): the Universal Health Coverage for Mental Health conceived to strategically advance policies, advocacy and human rights, and scale-up quality interventions and services for people with mental health conditions, including substance use and neurological disorders.
The Forum launched the mhGAP Community Toolkit, aimed at increasing and facilitating country action and community implementation of mental health, and of the publications Preventing suicide: a resource for pesticide registrars and regulators and Preventing suicide: a resource for filmmakers.
The Forum discussed also how WHO tools are supporting the implementation of policies and mental health interventions in different age groups and across different settings, and how to do better.
Under the preparation of the III Congress on Mental Health: Meeting the Needs of the XXI Century, Natalia Treushnikova held a meeting with members of the International Organizing Committee including the Chair, Professor Norman Sartorius; Dr.Shekhar Saxena and Dr. Judy Kuriansky where the progress was discussed. Consultations were held also with the Mental Health Division at the Regional office for Europe.
