Mental health is crucial for ensuring the health and well-being of individuals and populations. Integrating mental health care into homes, schools, workplaces, health care services, and elderly care facilities will improve health outcomes and reduce healthcare costs.

Good mental health may lead to improved academic performance and work productivity, and stronger interpersonal relationships and social connections.

We need to ensure that developing countries in Asia and the Pacific are addressing the increasing global burden of mental health issues and treatment gaps.

It is important to integrate mental health support with other services and activities relevant to people’s life stage. In schools, this means school-based mental health programs. In workplaces, it includes incorporating mental health support in employment support programs.

In communities, mental health services need to be part of primary care services, particularly those addressing the needs of pregnant women, new mothers, and older people.

Mental health must be integrated into universal health coverage strategies to build resilient health systems and ensure equitable care for all.

Mental health is complex and complicated but this should not mean that those suffering from poor mental health must accept limited lives. With effective treatment, they can live full and productive lives.

Improved access to mental health care services, engaging people with lived experiences of mental health disorders, and support from families and friends all make a difference. Governments need to embed peer-support insights in addressing barriers to access to care and evaluating the effectiveness of mental health services.

Governments also need to expand digital interventions for mental health as there is growing evidence that digital health interventions have the potential to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of health service delivery and help deliver better health outcomes, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

Digital interventions for mental health can be used to increase mental health literacy. This can include using social media for public health communication aimed at supporting good mental health and destigmatizing discussions about mental health, for example through events like World Mental Health Day and R U OK? Day.

It can also facilitate engaging people with lived experiences through online communities to discuss various aspects of their lives, providing access to evidence-based information through trusted websites, and utilizing social media platforms to promote mental health and social connectedness in later years.

Digital tools can also support training with online self-training tools, and access to specialist training via webinars and other online training platforms.

Promoting and protecting mental wellness throughout the lifespan should be part of universal health coverage strategies of developing member countries. Health promotion at primary health and community care levels should help educate about mental health.

Clinical care pathways and treatment guidelines must be strengthened to ensure referral to specialist care. National health insurance systems should include mental health treatment as part of their benefits or covered health services.

Indeed, addressing mental health serves as an important step towards building resilient health systems which will help people and communities adapt and mitigate climate change. We must step up efforts to protect mental health for all, placing it at the heart of universal health coverage, and leaving no one behind.