[Public mental health: Core component or side issue of public health?]

This article provides an overview of the self-conception, research, and fields of action of public mental health. It is becoming clear that mental health is a central element of public health and that a relevant knowledge base exists on this topic. In addition, lines of development of this field, which is gaining in importance in Germany, are shown. Although there are important current initiatives in the field of public mental health, such as the establishment of a Mental Health Surveillance (MHS) and the Mental Health Offensive, the positioning in the field does not correspond to the relevance of mental illness in population medicine.