Oyo State SDGs has encouraged Federal and State Government to Invest on Mental Health after COVID-19. The appeal was made today in Ibadan by the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Seyi Makinde on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), Hon. Kunle Yusuf MON.
Yusuf said, since 2015, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), has been calling to “transform our world”. With 17 goals, 270 targets and measured though 230 indicators, the SDGs are complex, and prioritising and implementing them is challenging for many countries.
Mental health cross-cuts most SDGs and has been given explicit focus in two SDG targets. Implementing the mental health suicide target can help countries to tackle cross-societal issues, impacting many of the SDGs, and to improve and save lives of millions.
Investing in mental health campaigns to prevent suicides, reduce stigma and improve treatment are the key steps we need.
The problem: Suicide and Mental illness
SDGs study showes that every 40 seconds a person dies from suicide. Almost 2,200 people take their own lives each day —800,000 people per year in countries with both high-functioning health systems and with basic health provision.
Depression, bipolar disorder, substance use and addictions, and other mental disorders affect at least one in four people. In most cases, these disorders are untreated and cause excessive suffering, frequently leading to suicide. Suffering and Deaths that could in millions of cases be treated and prevented.
States are failing these people through underfunding; through lack of measures around prevention, provision and adequate care of mental health policies and practices; and because people don’t seek help because of stigma and discrimination.
The SDGs call on countries, by 2030, to reduce premature mortality from non-communicable diseases by a third through prevention and treatment and to promote mental health and well-being (target 3.4, indicator 3.4.2). They ask nations to strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol (target 3.5, indicators 3.5.1, 3.5.2). And, they call for universal health coverage (target 3.8, indicators 3.8.1, 3.8.2), which mental health is part of.
The UN, WHO and others are regularly monitoring countries’ progress. But implementation of the SDGs is voluntary and selective, and policymakers still need to actively pursue the implementation of mental health targets.
Mental disorders affect most societal sectors, and, while not clearly recognised in the SDGs, mental health intersects with and influences most of the other SDGs Goals. Poverty eradication (SDG 1), Nutrition (SDG 2), Health (SDG 3), Education (SDG 4), Women’s Empowerment (SDG 5), Decent Work (SDG 8), Sustainable Cities (SDG 11), Sustainable Consumption (SDG 12), Climate Change and Disaster Recovery (SDG 13), Peaceful and just Societies (SDG 16) and Partnerships (SDG 17). All of these are linked to Mental Health.
Ignoring mental illnesses will definitely undermine SDGs 2030 Global Goals Targets.