The United Nations has reaffirmed the right of every human being to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health without distinction as to race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition, and to the full range of factors that support well-being.

Attaining this goal requires social integration and mental health access to all.

Mental health stigma and discrimination continues to be a barrier to access to good health for many people with a mental health condition because they do not have access to effective, evidence based health care. Public attitudes to people with mental health conditions are often negative. This affects how people engage with health care services and contributes to poor outcomes resulting from poor engagement with physical and mental health care interventions, delayed physical and mental health diagnosis and poor ongoing engagement with longer term treatment interventions.

For many people with long-term physical health conditions co-morbid mental ill health is becoming increasing common. In order to obtain the best outcomes in long-term physical health conditions there is a need to address the mental health co-morbidity using a range of interventions, including addressing the wider determinants of health.