Global Consortium for the Advancement of Promotion and Prevention in Mental Health

New & Newsworthy

2010 World Conference The web site for the Sixth World Conference on the Promotion of Mental Health and Prevention of Mental and Behavioral Disorders is at http://wmhconf2010.hhd.org Melbourne Charter VicHealth (The Victorian Health Promotion Foundation) has placed a print-friendly black and white version of the Melbourne Charter on its web site (the link is www.vichealth.gov.au/charter). The Charter is the outcome document of the Fifth World Conference on the Promotion of Mental Health and Prevention of Mental and Behavioural Disorders, held in Melbourne, Australia, on 10-12 September 2008. Its preparation was an integral part of program planning for the meeting. National Research Council/Institute of Medicine Report The National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine in the United States have released an important report, “Preventing Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Disorders Among Young People: Progress and Possibilities.” This 2009 publication surveys current research on the prevention of disorders, recommends more attention to mental health promotion, and suggests steps needed to improve coordination of government policy. Go to www.nap.edu, the web site of the National Academies Press, and click on “Mental Health and Behavior” in the menu for information about ordering the book. The text is also available there online (500 pages), and individual chapters are easy to access.

WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health The final report of the WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health, headed by Sir Michael Marmot, was released on 28 August 2008. The Commission’s web site at www.who.int/social_determinants/en has a link to the 256-page report. The web site also has a large amount of relevant material gathered during the preparation of the report.

European Union Pact for Mental Health and Well-being The European Union launched a Mental Health Pact at a high-level conference in Brussels on 13 June 2008. The Pact calls for action by member states in the following priority areas: - prevention of depression and suicide - mental health in youth and education - mental health in workplace settings - mental health of older people - stigma and social exclusion Member states are invited to exchange information, identify good practices and success factors in policy and stakeholder action, to develop appropriate recommendations and action plans, and to communicate results in a series of conferences to be held on the priority areas in the coming years. The text of the Pact is available at: ec.europa.eu/health/ph_determinants/life_style/mental/docs/pact_en.pdf

Conference in Toronto The Clifford Beers Foundation will hold a conference at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on 4-6 March 2009. The deadline for abstracts is 30 September 2008. For information, go to www.toronto.cliffordbeersfoundation.co.uk

In March 2008 the World Federation for Mental Health published a monograph on “Building Awareness – Reducing Risk: Mental Illness and Suicide.” It summarizes an International Experts Forum on mental disorders, suicide risk, and prevention. To obtain a copy, send an email to dmaguire@wfmh.com.

IMHPA – European Network for Mental Health Promotion and Mental Disorder Prevention placed a new resource with information about training events for mental health promotion on its web site (www.imhpa.net) in May 2008. The web site also has a report from the conference “Joining Forces Across Europe for Prevention and Promotion in Mental Health” held in Barcelona, 13-15 September 2007.

Emory Awards Honorary Doctorate to Longtime Carter Center Mental Health Supporter 24 July 2007 The Carter Center Congratulates Beverly Benson Long For a Lifetime of Advocacy for the Prevention of Mental Illnesses and Behavioral Disorders ATLANTA....Beverly Benson Long, a mental health pioneer whose efforts were instrumental in establishing the Rosalynn Carter Endowed Chair for Mental Health at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree during Emory's 162nd commencement ceremony. Nominated for the honor by former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, Carter Center President and CEO John Hardman, M.D., and the Center's Mental Health Program, Ms. Long's work with former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Mrs. Carter spans almost four decades. Her service has been local, state-wide, and national, including an appointment by then-President Jimmy Carter as a member of the 1977-1978 President's Commission on Public Health.	Photo credit: Kay Hinton Beverly Long receives honorary degree at the 2007 Emory University commencement ceremony. Photo credit: Ann Borden Beverly Benson Long receives the honorary Doctor of Science degree during Emory University's 162nd commencement ceremony.
Beverly Benson Long Internationally recognized advocate for behavioral health issues, Beverly Benson Long has worked tirelessly for the humane treatment of people suffering from mental illnesses. She began her advocacy on the frontlines of the civil rights movement in Athens and Atlanta, Ga., as she led HOPE (Help Our Public Education) to fight segregation in public schools. Ms. Long's experiences in desegregation provided the benchmark for her life and her work. She has served as the President of the World Federation for Mental Health, President of the National Mental Health Association (NMHA) of Atlanta and Georgia; chaired the first Georgia Governor's Advisory Council on Mental Health, Mental Retardation, and Substance Abuse from 1975 to 1978; and was appointed by President Jimmy Carter as a member of the 1977 to 1978 President's Commission on Public Health. Ms. Long has been instrumental in bringing together top researchers, governmental organizations, non-profit agencies, and individuals from around the world to encourage action of the latest developments in prevention and promotion through the biennial international conference series on the Promotion of Mental Health and the Prevention of Mental and Behavioral Disorders and through her inspirational support in helping to bring the Rosalynn Carter Endowed Chair for Mental Health at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. She has served as a member of the Institute of Medicine (IOM), National Academy of Sciences' Board of Neuroscience and Behavioral Health; The Board of the Society for Prevention Research, a member of the Dean's Council of the Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University. Ms. Long was Chair of the Biennial Conference Committee for the Inaugural World Conference "To Promote Mental Health and Prevent Mental and Behavioral Disorders" held in 2000 and 2002. She continues to be a major force in the development of mental health, promotion, and prevention in the behavioral health movement. Ms. Long is recognized for her 35 years of leadership, vision, and persistence in ensuring a place for mental health in public health. Citation: Beverly Benson Long Daughter of Georgia, Public Health Visionary For more than three decades your passionate focus on mental health has served our state, our nation, and the world. Determined to make emotional and psychological wellness a vital component of thinking about public health, you have guided the work of policy makers and organizations. Your fight for more humane treatment, better funding,and more effective detection and prevention has helped diminish the unfair stigma of mental illness.Your understated manner hides a fiery zeal.Your counsel has proved invaluable to Emory in educating our students about mental well-being. In recognition of your clarity of purpose in behalf of others,we gratefully confer on you the degree of Doctor of Science, honoris causa.
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