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Review
. 2012 Jan;9(1):e1001159.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1001159. Epub 2012 Jan 17.

A United Nations General Assembly Special Session for mental, neurological, and substance use disorders: the time has come

Judith K Bass  1 , Thomas H Bornemann, Matthew Burkey, Sonia Chehil, Lenis Chen, John R M Copeland, William W Eaton, Vijay Ganju, Erin Hayward, Rebecca S Hock, Rubeena Kidwai, Kavitha Kolappa, Patrick T Lee, Harry Minas, Flora Or, Giuseppe J Raviola, Benedetto Saraceno, Vikram Patel
Affiliations
Review

A United Nations General Assembly Special Session for mental, neurological, and substance use disorders: the time has come

Judith K Bass et al. PLoS Med. 2012 Jan.

Abstract

Mental, neurological, and substance use (MNS) disorders are leading causes of the global burden of disease and profoundly impact the social and economic well-being of individuals and communities. The majority of people affected by MNS disorders globally do not have access to evidence-based interventions and many experience discrimination and abuses of their human rights. A United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) is needed to focus global attention on MNS disorders as a core development issue requiring commitments to improve access to care, promote human rights, and strengthen the evidence on effective prevention and treatment.

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Conflict of interest statement

VP is a member of the PLoS Medicine Editorial Board. All other authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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