Africa: Does mental health play a role in achieving the MDGs?

This paper from the journal PloS Medicine notes that mental health is absent from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). However, it cites evidence which indicates that mental health-related conditions, including depressive and anxiety disorders, alcohol and drug abuse, and schizophrenia, contribute significantly both to the number of years lived with disability and lost due to disability in developing countries. It highlights further research which shows that poor mental health is closely linked to social determinants, notably poverty and disadvantage, as well as to HIV and AIDS and poor maternal and child health.