Most recent statistics issued by the World Health Organization make it clear that more than one billion people on the planet today are already mentally ill, and this is an international crisis that cannot be overlooked and needs an unprecedented level of investment in the mental health system. This astounding figure brings into focus the massive human and economic cost of disorders such as anxiety and depression which are now the second-largest cause of long-term disability in the world.
A mental health crisis is like no other
According to recent statistics published by the World Health Organization (WHO), over 1 billion individuals live with mental illnesses, and disorders like anxiety and depression impose colossal human and economic burdens, according to Becker of Behavioral Health. Although most countries have strengthened their mental health policies and programmes, the world needs to invest and take more action.
Mental disorders like anxiety and depression are very common in every nation and society and are found in individuals of all ages and economic statuses. They are the second major cause of disability that is chronic and thus causes loss of healthy living, as they increase healthcare expenses to the people and families affected.
The economic damage is trillion-dollar deep
These new results, presented in two reports, including the outstanding report on the current state of mental health in the world (World Mental Health Today) and the report on Mental Health Atlas 2024, reveal certain improvements but also reveal a great deal of information missing in the situation. The world economy spends about 1 trillion dollars every year on depression and anxiety, much of which is wasted productivity.
According to Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO Director-General, mental health services are one of the most acute problems of public health that needs to be transformed. Mental health is a worthy investment or, more to the point, it is an investment in people, communities, and economies; it is an investment that no nation can afford not to make.
Suicide is the number one cause of death in young people
WHO data show that suicide is still the major cause of death among the youth. It is estimated that with the current rates, the world can narrow the gap between the U.N. goal of 33% and 12% (suicide mortality) by 2030. It is believed that 727,000 people died by suicide in 2021 alone.
This report demonstrates that the prevalence of mental health disorders may be different by sex; however, overall, women are affected disproportionately. Mental health disorders occurring most frequently in both men and women in all demographic groups are anxiety and depressive disorders.
Financial inequalities indicate inequality in the world
Since 2017, median government spending on mental health has not increased and remains at 2% of total health budgets. Mental healthcare access and quality are dramatically different in low-income countries, where it costs as little as 4 cents per person, and mental healthcare costs 65 dollars in high-income countries. The median number of mental health workers in the world is 13 per 100,000 population, and there is an alarming shortage of workers in the low- and middle-income nations.
WHO urges governments and other international partners to press harder to bring about systemic change in mental health systems across the globe. This includes equitable investment in mental health, institutional and policy transformation in mental health promotion, plus long-term investment in the mental health workforce.
According to findings by the WHO, the global mental health crisis is affecting more than a billion individuals and costs the economy more than a trillion dollars a year. Despite certain positive changes in the policies, the way funding, community-based care, and mental healthcare are perceived as one of the primary rights, rather than privileges of all groups of people in the world, needs to be addressed immediately.