WOMEN'S HEALTH
It started with just a phrase. Now millions of Third World women have a better chance at improving their mental health. Until recently, discussions at the United Nations about women's health virtually ignored psychological concerns. So my colleagues and I successfully lobbied for the replacement of the word "health" with "physical and mental health" in the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action, moving mental health dialogue to a more prominent place on the international agenda.
Last March, the 43rd session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women adopted a resolution on women and mental health. Although this policy has no legal binding, it should help advocates create prevention programs, train primary care providers about women's health issues, and elimate discrimination against women. Already, activists in Egypt have used the documents to convince government officials to take their progressive mental health programs seriously.
