Proper treatment of mental disease is a human right. Mental illnesses affect people of all ages in all countries and societies, from the boy soldier in Sierra Leone traumatized by years of bloody civil war to the aging farmer in South Africa and the Member of Congress in the US suffering from a depression.

Hundreds of millions of people worldwide are affected. Estimates made by WHO in 2002 showed that 154 million people globally suffer from depression alone. As many as 450 million people around the world suffer from a mental or neurological disorder of some kind. Adequate treatment of mental health illnesses is a matter of rights. It is also a matter of human value and human dignity.

Stigma is a main problem – maybe the main problem – regarding our efforts to improve the mental health situation in the world. Because of Mr. Bondevik’s personal history, he has a voice in the fight against stigma world wide.

Objectives

• Fight stigma regarding mental illness
• Increased understanding of mental health issues in general
• Encourage family members and friends to care for people with mental illness, and make it easier for people to ask family, friends and professionals for help
• Promote better health care for mental illness
• Increase governments` understanding for the need to fight stigma and develop good health care in this sector.

Activities

• In order to promote awareness of these issues, The Carter Center - in partnership with The Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights and the South African Depression and Anxiety Group - coordinated a series of events and media coverage over three days in South Africa in observance of World Mental Health Day, October 10th 2007.
• We have also participated in events in places like Westminster, Brussels and Minneapolis and have give interviews in order to reach out to a broader audience. One example is this interview with the BBC.

Relevant links

Politician tells his story as mental health study launched (Irish Times)

Britisk beundring for Bondeviks åpenhet (The norwegian newspaper Aftenposten)

Read more about the partnership with the Carter Center