In many low and middle income countries , attention to mental illness remains compartmentalized and consigned as a matter for specialist policy .Despite great advances in global mental health , mental health policy and practice dovetail only to a limited degree with social development efforts .They often lag behind broader approa-ches to health and development .This gap ignores the small but growing evidence that social development unavoidably impacts the mental health of those affected , and that this influence can be both positive and negative .This article ex-amines the theoretical and practical challenges that need to be overcome for a more effective integration of social de -velopment and mental health policy .From a theoretical perspective , this article demonstrates compatibility between social development and mental health paradigms .In particular , the capability approach is shown to provide a strong framework for integrating mental health and development .Yet, capability-oriented critiques on ‘happiness ’ have re-cently been applied to mental health with potentially detrimental outcomes .With regard to policy and practice , hori-zontal and vertical integration strategies are suggested .Horizontal strategies require stronger devolution of mental health care to the primary care level , more unified messages regarding mental health care provision and the gradual expansion of mental health packages of care .Vertical integration refers to the alignment of mental health with related policy domains ( particularly the social , economic and political domains ) .Evidence from mental health research rein-forces aspects of social development theory in a way that can have tangible implications on practice .First, it encoura-ges a focus on avoiding exclusion of those affected by or at risk of mental illness .Secondly , it underscores the impor-tance of the process of implementation as an integral component of successful policies .Finally, by retaining a focus on the individual , it seeks to avoid uneven approaches to development .