The World Health Organization (WHO) says about 1 billion people worldwide suffer from some form of mental illness, and the latest WHO figures are even more alarming. One in seven of those one billion people is young.
The WHO says that in the first year of the coronavirus outbreak, the rate of problems such as depression and anxiety increased by more than 25%.
In its most comprehensive mental health survey of the century, the World Health Organization (WHO) has called on more countries to prepare for the deteriorating situation.
The World Health Organization (WHO) acknowledges and cites mental health initiatives for positive and sustainable development, urging them to be implemented as soon as possible.
“Every single person’s life affects someone’s mental health,” said Ted Ross Adhanom, director of the World Health Organization.
“Good mental health reflects good physical health, and this new report makes a change in our attitudes inevitable,” he said.
He said the link between mental health and public health, human rights and socio-economic development could not be bridged, which meant that policies and strategies on mental health should be changed so that individuals, communities and Countries have real and significant benefits.
The WHO, citing the latest available global data for 2019, said that even before the outbreak of the coronavirus, only a small portion of people in need of mental health treatment had access to effective, affordable, and quality services.
The WHO cites the example that more than 70% of people with mental illness worldwide do not get the help they need.
The gap between rich and poor countries is also marked by unequal access to health care, with 7 out of 10 people suffering from mental illness being treated in high-income countries, compared to only in low-income countries 12%.
