Mental disorders account for more than a quarter of all years lived with a disability globally, yet the majority of people suffering from these conditions do not receive adequate treatment and care. The Forum members bring a wealth of experience to solving this problem, including national and international policy makers, researchers, representatives from non-governmental organizations, and the private sector.

The Forum’s report will argue that the integration of mental health into routine healthcare (including general hospitals, primary healthcare and community care) is the primary route to achieve parity between mental and physical health and to address the human rights abuses suffered by people with mental disorders. The report will reinforce the commitment of countries expressed in WHO’s Mental Health Action Plan and propose a number of key innovations which seek to achieve this goal. The report will emphasize innovations which have been demonstrated to be effective, have the potential to be delivered at scale in the short-term, and are suitable for translation to other contexts.