CDC Feature Spotlight: Public Action Plan to Integrate Mental HealthPromotion and Mental Illness Prevention with Chronic Disease Prevention
Feature Spotlight
Public Health Action Plan to integrate mental health promotion and
mental illness prevention with chronic disease prevention – 2011 – 2015
[PDF-830KB]
<http://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/docs/11_220990_Sturgis_MHMIActionPlan_F
INAL-Web_tag508.pdf> OR
http://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/docs/11_220990_Sturgis_MHMIActionPlan_FI
NAL-Web_tag508.pdf
For more information please visit: http://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/
Executive Summary
Mental health (MH) is increasingly recognized by the public health
community as critical to good health.
An estimated 26% of Americans age 18 and older suffer from a diagnosable
mental disorder in a given year.
The estimated lifetime prevalence of any mental disorder among the U.S.
adult population is 46%.
The interconnections between chronic disease, injury, and mental illness
(MI) are striking. For example,
tobacco use among people diagnosed with a MI condition is twice that of
the general population. In addition,
the evidence is extensive for associations between MI and chronic
diseases, such as cardiovascular disease,
diabetes, obesity, asthma, arthritis, epilepsy, and cancer. Injury rates
for both intentional (e.g., homicide) and
unintentional (e.g., motor vehicle injuries) injuries are 26 times
higher among people with a history of MI
than for the general population.
The absence of MI does not mean the presence of MH. Growing research
supports the view that MH and
MI are independent but related dimensions. MH and well-being are
characterized by the presence of positive
affect (e.g., optimism, cheerfulness, interest), absence of negative
affect, and satisfaction with life. On the other
hand, MI is characterized by alterations in thinking, mood, or behavior
associated with distress or impaired
functioning.
In 1999, the Surgeon General’s office released its first report on MH,
calling for the full integration of MH into
the nation’s public health system. The report concluded that mental
disorders are among the most prevalent and
costly conditions in the United States and that effective treatment can
reduce their prevalence and decrease their
adverse effect on other health conditions. This report called for a
broad public health approach that included
clinical diagnosis and treatment of MI, as well as surveillance,
research, and promotion of MH.
Integrating MH and public health programs that address chronic disease
is a challenging but essential task
in protecting the health of Americans. The Division of Adult and
Community Health (DACH) in the
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion at
the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) has a mission to prevent death and disability from
chronic disease and to promote
healthy behaviors. With this report, the Public Health Action Plan to
Integrate Mental Health Promotion and
Mental Illness Prevention with Chronic Disease Prevention, 2011-2015,
DACH outlines its goal to include the
promotion of MH as a part of its efforts to prevent chronic disease.
In 2008, DACH convened a Mental Health/Mental Illness Expert Workgroup
(see Appendix A) to evaluate current
DACH activities and proposals for integrating MH and MI programs in
public health. The workgroup was asked
to identify research gaps, new activities in the field, and action
priorities for public health. The expert workgroup
met three times and provided guidance that was used to create this
action plan. The action plan includes eight
strategies, each with specific actions that can be taken to achieve
these strategies during 2011-2015.