The World Health Organization (WHO) has called on all nations to start investing more in mental health, because according to their data, the appearance of COVID-19 has taken a psychological toll on us. So much so, that they report that cases of depression and anxiety have increased by 25% during the first year of the pandemic.
This alarm has arisen after the body has published its largest review on mental health since the turn of the century. In it, it indicates that in 2019 almost a billion people lived with a mental disorder, including 14% of adolescents worldwide. In addition, one in 100 deaths was due to suicide and 58% of individuals who committed suicide were under 50 years of age.
Many times mental disorders are not given the importance they deserve, however, according to the WHO it is the first cause of disability and reports that people with these psychological problems tend to live between 10 and 20 years less than the average person. general population, mainly due to preventable physical illnesses.
Improving the effectiveness and accessibility of mental health care
Another of the alarming data reflected in the report is that the problem in mental health care is not just now, but that even before the COVID pandemic, only a fraction of the population could access effective, quality and reliable care. affordable. This is the conclusion drawn from figures that indicate, for example, that 71% of patients with psychosis in the world do not receive mental help; Of course, things change depending on where we are, since while in a high-income country 70% of people with psychosis are treated, this figure is reduced to 12% in the poorest countries.
Mental disorders are the main cause of disability and those who suffer from them live between 10 and 20 years less
A big problem that affects poor and rich countries is the inadequate coverage for the treatment of depression. In high-income countries, only a third of people with this mental problem are treated and it is estimated that minimally adequate treatment ranges from 23%, a figure that drops to 3% in low- and middle-income countries.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the WHO, explained that “in life we all have someone with a mental health condition. Good mental health translates to good physical health, and this new report makes a compelling case for change. The inextricable links between mental health and public health, human rights, and socioeconomic development mean that transforming mental health policy and practice can deliver real and substantive benefits to individuals, communities, and countries around the world. . An investment in mental health is an investment in a better life and future for all.”
WHO proposals to improve global mental health
194 WHO Member States have signed up to the Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2030. The main objective is for all countries to commit to transforming mental health care. However, as the WHO explains, this change appears to be very slow, with only two out of every three dollars of the meager government spending on mental health being spent on independent psychiatric hospitals, rather than on evidence-based mental health services. community.
Among the measures proposed by the WHO to begin to change the dire situation of mental health in the world are:
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