UNB, Dhaka :
More than 75 percent people with mental, neurological and substance use disorders receive no treatment for their condition in low and middle-income countries (MICs), global organisations say.
Stigma, discrimination, punitive legislation and human rights abuses are still widespread, according to a joint statement by the World Health Organization, United for Global Mental Health and the World Federation for Mental Health. Close to one billion people are living with mental disorders, three million people die every year from the harmful use of alcohol and one person dies every 40 seconds by suicide, according to the joint statement issued by WHO.
And now, billions of people around the world have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, which is having a further impact on mental health which is one of the most neglected areas of public health, WHO says ahead of the World Mental Health Day.
But relatively few people have access to quality mental health services.
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.
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.
For this year’s World Mental Health Day, WHO, together with partner organisations, 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 WHO.
“We’re 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,” he said.
During the past few months, the WHO 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 on average only 2 percent of their health budgets on mental health, according to WHO.
Despite some increases in recent years, international development assistance for mental health has never exceeded 1 percent 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.
The World Mental Health Day campaign will offer opportunities 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’s 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 of 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.”
More than 75 percent people with mental, neurological and substance use disorders receive no treatment for their condition in low and middle-income countries (MICs), global organisations say.
Stigma, discrimination, punitive legislation and human rights abuses are still widespread, according to a joint statement by the World Health Organization, United for Global Mental Health and the World Federation for Mental Health. Close to one billion people are living with mental disorders, three million people die every year from the harmful use of alcohol and one person dies every 40 seconds by suicide, according to the joint statement issued by WHO.
And now, billions of people around the world have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, which is having a further impact on mental health which is one of the most neglected areas of public health, WHO says ahead of the World Mental Health Day.
But relatively few people have access to quality mental health services.
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.
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.
For this year’s World Mental Health Day, WHO, together with partner organisations, 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 WHO.
“We’re 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,” he said.
During the past few months, the WHO 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 on average only 2 percent of their health budgets on mental health, according to WHO.
Despite some increases in recent years, international development assistance for mental health has never exceeded 1 percent 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.
The World Mental Health Day campaign will offer opportunities 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’s 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 of 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.”
