Public health approaches to improving population mental health

Formal integration of governmental oversight of physical and behavioral health is uncommon in the U.S. The federal public health agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), does not maintain a distinct mental health activity; instead, federal public mental health activities are under the purview of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). This bifurcation is generally evident at the state and local levels as well. However, in 2002, as the result of a successful popular-ballot measure to amend the New York City Charter, the New York City Department of Health and the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation, and Alcoholism Services merged into a single Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH). The Commissioner of the newly joined agency, Dr. Thomas Frieden, said at the time,

At its core, the Department represents a new way of addressing health and behavioral health issues that are so often inextricably linked. No longer will “health” concerns be separate from those of “mental hygiene,” a term that encompasses the areas of mental health, developmental disabilities, and chemical dependencies.