The sustainable development goals, psychosocial disability, and the meaning of wellbeing in SDG3: Towards an approach that combines the subjective and objective

In 2013, the World Health Organization recognised the systematic neglect of mental health across the world. This chapter considers the question in light of the general context of sustainable development goals 3. It suggests that the manner in which it was drafted implies that a more objective construction of wellbeing is intended. The chapter discusses a central problem with subjective accounts of wellbeing and focuses on the implications of this discussion for those with psychosocial disabilities. It highlights the importance of considering what is meant by wellbeing and the adoption of a balanced approach that both recognises the importance of the subjective experience, choice and preferences of individuals, as well as objective factors in that regard. Once individuals have been recognised to have a psychosocial disability, their subjective preferences and autonomy have often been disregarded.