Mental health: A report of the surgeon general - Executive summary

This surgeon general's report is the first ever issued on mental health. Two messages are conveyed in the report: Mental health is fundamental to health, and mental disorders are real health conditions. The surgeon general's report summarizes the Office's detailed review of more than 3,000 research articles, plus Ist-person accounts from individuals who have been afflicted with mental disorders. Two main findings emerged from the research: (a) The efficacy of mental health treatments is well documented, and (b) a range of treatments exists for most mental disorders. On the basis of these findings, the Office of the Surgeon General recommends that people seek help if they have a mental health problem or think they have symptoms of a mental disorder. Themes covered in the report include adopting a public health perspective, accepting that mental disorders are disabling, and seeing mental health and mental illness as points on a continuum.