Mental health in Gabon remains a developing area with significant challenges, but significant progress has been made in recent years. The key aspects are summarized below:

### Context and challenges

In Gabon, as in many countries of sub-Saharan Africa, mental health has long been neglected in public health policies. Lack of financial resources, lack of specialized infrastructure and social stigma are some of the main obstacles. Mental disorders are often misunderstood, leading to the marginalization of those affected.

### Recent Progress

1. **Strengthening infrastructure** Gabon has begun to strengthen its mental health infrastructures. For example, psychiatric units have been integrated into some hospitals and mental health centres have been established in major cities.

2. **Training of health professionals**:

 An effort has been made to train more mental health professionals, including psychiatrists, psychologists and psychiatric nurses. Continuing training programmes and awareness workshops have been set up to improve skills in this area.

3. **Awareness and de-stigmatization**:

Awareness campaigns have been launched to educate the public about mental disorders, thus reducing the stigma associated with them. These campaigns are designed to encourage people to seek help and understand that mental disorders are like any other disease.

4. **Access to care**:

Efforts have been made to improve access to mental health care, especially in rural areas. Initiatives such as telemedicine are being explored to improve access to services in remote areas.

5. **Policy and legislation** :

 The Gabonese Government has also taken steps to develop a national mental health policy. Although the legal framework is still in development, these policies aim to protect the rights of people with mental disorders and ensure that they receive the necessary care.

### Persistent challenges

Despite these advances, several challenges remain:

- **Limited resources** Funding for mental health remains insufficient, limiting expansion of services.

- **Stigma continues**: although it has decreased, it remains a major barrier to accessing care.

- **Lack of data** There is a critical need for accurate data to assess the magnitude of mental disorders and the effectiveness of interventions.

Gabon has made significant progress in the area of mental health, but much remains to be done. Continued expansion, improvement of infrastructure and services, and integration of mental health care into public policies are essential to meet the growing needs of the population.