Decreasing the burden of mental illness: final report

Following an initiative from the Head of the Western Cape Provincial Department of Health, a Project Task Team was appointed to delineate the extent of, and identify the main contributors to, the burden of disease (BoD) in the province. Five disease groups were identified as the largest contributors to the total burden of disease in the Western Cape. Five corresponding workgroups were constituted to develop policies for the prevention of these diseases to significantly decrease the burden of disease in the Province. With this background in mind, the Mental Health Workgroup was established as a consortium of multi-sectoral and intergovermental public health and mental health experts. The workgroup was asked to make recommendations with regard to those interventions which might reduce the burden of mental illness in the province. A further consideration was for the group to focus on preventing common mental disorders such as: depression, substance abuse, childhood behavioural disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder. By implication, the aim was to suggest interventions which might promote and sustain good mental health.