LTB 547 – World’s First Global Ministerial Mental Health Summit To Be Held In London

No. 547/2018

24 September 2018

Our Ref: P26/18

World’s First Global Ministerial Mental Health Summit To Be Held In London

To: All Branches

Dear Colleagues,

The UK Government through the Department of Health and Social Care has announced that the UK will host the first ever Global Ministerial Mental Health Summit in London next month, October, confirming an earlier announcement. The event coincides with ‘World Mental Health Day’.

The ministry said that the global meeting is aimed at helping countries to work together to deal with stigma and confront other issues to do with mental ill health. The summit will also look at the evidence for different treatments, and to ensure healthcare systems around the world value mental health as much as physical health.

Ministers, leading academics, policy makers and patients from more than 30 countries have been invited to attend, bringing together the world’s political leaders, innovators, experts by experience, policy makers and civil society to share the most effective and innovative approaches to mental health and psychosocial disabilities with the aim of building momentum on global mental health issues such as early intervention, public health, research, tackling stigma, and promoting access to evidence-based services.

A key objective is to agree a global declaration committing countries to political leadership on mental health, with future summits being held annually, driving global action. The summit is also expected to help countries learn from each other to find the best ways to deal with issues such as stigma, discrimination and increased rates of depression and anxiety among young people.

The Department of Health and Social Care minister also announced the launch of the Global Alliance of Champions on Mental Health – set up jointly with his Australian and Canadian counterparts. The aim of this is also to encourage political leaders to raise the profile of mental health, decrease stigma and work together more across world regions.

Around 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem at some point in their life and by 2020 the World Health Organisation estimates that mental health conditions will account for 15% of cases of disease in the world.

Mental illness is also the biggest cause of lost economic output, with an estimated cost to the global community of nearly US$2.5 trillion a year, which is expected to increase to US$6 trillion by 2030.

The Department of Health and Social Care stated that when you look at the extraordinary prevalence and impact on people’s lives, it is clear that mental illness is fast becoming one of the defining global health challenges of the 21st century. Until recently, this hasn’t had the profile it deserves on a global stage.

The Department of Health and Social Care added that it is hoped the inaugural global summit can play a central role in changing the story for millions of people around the world experiencing mental illness. This is the next step in a journey to a new level of co-operation between nations so that governments can improve people’s access to evidence-based services and bear down on stigma and other factors that are exacerbating this crisis.

The Summit will be held on Tuesday 9 and Wednesday 10 October 2018 in central London and will host six work streams showcasing innovations from across the globe throughout the Summit and developing consensus statements to be delivered to political leaders. The work streams are:

  1. Children, young people and the now generation.
  2. Caring Societies: Creating the conditions for inclusion, prevention and wellbeing.
  3. A just society: supporting societal shifts, tackling stigma and discrimination, creating inclusive societies.
  4. Mental health services around the world.
  5. Research and the future of mental health.
  6. The economics of, and investment in, mental health.

The Summit will also host the launch of the landmark Lancet Commission on Global Mental Health, and secure the agreement of a political declaration to drive international action on mental health.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

18LTB547 World’s First Global Ministerial Mental Health Summit To Be Held In London