1 Mental illness – a key public health issue The World Health Organization upon acknowledging the significance of global mental health defined health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (WHO, 1946, p.1). This apt definition led the dictum that “there is no health without mental health” (WHO, 2004, p.10), with endorsements from reputable organisations such as the World Federation of Mental Health, EU Council of Ministers