Knowledge gaps in implementing global mental health activities

Global mental health has rapidly attracted increasing attention by health policy makers and researchers during the last 10 years. The groundwork for this shift was laid in data beingmade available on the prevalence (Demyttenaere et al. 2004) and burden (Lopez et al. 2006) of mental disorders and also on the resources allocated to mental health within countries (WHO, 2001, 2005, 2011, 2015). Publication of a series of review papers on specific areas within global mental health (Lancet Series on Global Mental Health, 2007, 2011) and on Grand Challenges in Global Mental Health (Collins et al. 2011) focused attention on what was known and also on what were the gaps in knowledge. On the side of policy makers, mental health has been discussed at ministerial level in the Commonwealth, the AsiaPacific Economic Commission, and in the World Health Assembly consisting of 194 ministers of health. The latter discussion led to the adoption of Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013–2020 (WHO, 2013), first time in the history of World Health Organization. The Mental Health Action Plan of WHO captures this global engagement, and is clearly focused on action. It has four objectives: to improve leadership and governance, health and social care, promotion and prevention, and information and research. It also identifies key cross-cutting principles encompassing universal health coverage, human rights, evidence based practice, life-course approach, multi-sectoral approach and empowerment of persons with mental disorders and psychosocial disabilities. The Action Plan is based on the vision of ‘a world in which mental health is valued, promoted and protected, mental disorders are prevented and persons affected by these disorders are able to exercise the full range of human rights and to access high-quality, culturallyappropriate health and social care in a timely way to promote recovery, all in order to attain the highest possible level of health and participate fully in society and at work free from stigmatization and discrimination’ The Plan calls for specific actions to be taken by member states, WHO secretariat and international and national partners. As the action plan is getting implemented, world leaders have also made an even larger commitment to mental health by including it in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2015–2030. This places mental health within the global development agenda. Do we have all the knowledge that we need to implement the Plan or the mental health and wellbeing component of UN Sustainable Development Goals? The clear answer is no. Existing knowledge has been critical in setting the high-level agendas for action, but there remain knowledge gaps that need to be filled. Nonetheless, having these global goals and shared aims is an important start to advance and align growing research activity in mental health services design and implementation, especially in lowand middleincome countries (LMICs). Efforts by researchers and innovators supported by funders like the Grand Challenges Canada (GCC website), National Institute * Address for correspondence: G. Belkin, Global Mental Health. (Email: gary.belkin@nyumc.org)