HEALTH PROMOTION CHALLENGES Promoting mental health as an essential aspect of health promotion

This paper advocates that mental health promotion receive appropriate attention within health promotion. It is of great concern that, in practice, mental health pro-motion is frequently overlooked in health promotion pro-grammes although the WHO definitions of health and the Ottawa Charter describe mental health as an integral part of health. It is suggested that more attention be given to addressing the determinants of mental health in terms of protective and risk factors for both physical and mental conditions, particularly in developing countries. Examples of evidence-based mental health programmes operating in widely diverse settings are presented to demonstrate that well designed interventions can contribute to the well-being of populations. It is advocated that particular atten-tion be given to the intersectorial cooperation needed for this work. Key words: mental health; promotion; advocac