Mental
health is one of the most neglected areas of public health. Close to 1 billion
people are living with a mental disorder, 3 million people die every year from
the harmful use of alcohol and one person dies every 40 seconds by suicide. And
now, billions of people around the world have been affected by the COVID-19
pandemic, which is having a further impact on people’s mental health.
Yet,
relatively few people around the world have access to quality mental health
services. In low- and middle-income countries, more than 75% of people with
mental, neurological and substance use disorders receive no treatment for their
condition at all. Furthermore, stigma, discrimination, punitive legislation and
human rights abuses are still widespread.
The
limited access to quality, affordable mental health care in the world before
the pandemic, and particularly in humanitarian emergencies and conflict
settings, has been further diminished due to COVID-19 as the pandemic has
disrupted health services around the world. Primary causes have been infection
and the risk of infection in long-stay facilities such as care homes and
psychiatric institutions; barriers to meeting people face-to-face; mental
health staff being infected with the virus; and the closing of mental health
facilities to convert them into care facilities for people with COVID-19.
Move for mental health: let’s invest
That’s
why, for this year’s World Mental Health Day, WHO, together with partner
organizations, United for Global Mental Health and the World Federation for
Mental Health, is calling for a massive scale-up in investment in mental
health. To encourage public action around the world, a World Mental Health Day
campaign, Move for mental health: let’s invest will kick off in September.
“World
Mental Health Day is an opportunity for the world to come together and begin
redressing the historic neglect of mental health,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom
Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization. “We are already
seeing the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on people’s mental well-being,
and this is just the beginning. Unless we make serious commitments to scale up
investment in mental health right now, the health, social and economic
consequences will be far-reaching.”
During
the past few months, the World Health Organization has issued, in collaboration
with partners, guidance and advice on mental health for health workers and
other frontline workers, managers of health facilities, and people of all ages
whose lives have changed considerably as a result of the pandemic. With the
disruption in health services, countries are finding innovative ways to provide
mental health care, and initiatives to strengthen psychosocial support have
sprung up. Yet, because of the scale of the problem, the vast majority of
mental health needs remain unaddressed. The response is hampered by chronic
under-investment in mental health promotion, prevention and care for many years
before the pandemic.
Countries spend just 2% of their health budgets on mental health
Countries
spend on average only 2% of their health budgets on mental health. Despite some
increases in recent years, international development assistance for mental
health has never exceeded 1% of all development assistance for health. This is
despite the fact that for every US$ 1 invested in scaled-up treatment for
common mental disorders such as depression and anxiety, there is a return of
US$ 5 in improved health and productivity.
World Mental Health Day: an opportunity to commit
The
World Mental Health Day campaign will offer opportunities, primarily online
given the continuing pandemic, for all of us to do something life-affirming: as
individuals, to take concrete actions in support of our own mental health, and
to support friends and family who are struggling; as employers, to take steps
towards putting in place employee wellness programmes; as governments, to
commit to establishing or scaling-up mental health services; and as
journalists, to explain what more can and must be done to make mental health
care a reality for everyone.
“It is
nearly 30 years since the first World Mental Health Day was launched by the
World Federation for Mental Health,” said Dr Ingrid Daniels, President of the
World Federation for Mental Health. “During that time, we have seen an
increasing openness to talk about mental health in many countries of the world.
But now we must turn words into actions. We need to see concerted efforts being
made to build mental health systems that are appropriate and relevant for
today’s – and tomorrow’s - world.
“With
so many people lacking access to good quality, appropriate mental health
services, investment is needed now more than ever,” said Elisha London, Founder
and CEO of United for Global Mental Health. “Everyone, everywhere can
participate in this year’s campaign. Whether you have struggled with your own
mental health, know someone who has been affected, are a mental health expert,
or if you simply believe that investing in mental health is the right thing to
do, move for mental health, and help make mental health care and support
accessible for everyone.”