More than 1 billion people are living with a mental health disorder

The number of people living with a mental health condition has surpassed 1 billion globally, according to a report from the World Health Organization. But investments to improve mental health services in countries are lagging behind. Mental health is one of the most neglected health issues globally and has a substantial impact on the global economy due to lost productivity. According to WHO, depression and anxiety alone cost the global economy a staggering $1 trillion annually. And while the current numbers are concerning, Mark Van Ommeren, head of the mental health unit at WHO, warned they may be an underestimate, given the stigma surrounding mental health. Yet governments on average are spending just around 2% of their budgets on mental health services, the same since 2017. The median number of mental health specialists is 13.5 per 100,000 people, based on the latest WHO data from 2021. This scenario is particularly stark in low-income countries, where median spending on mental health is just $0.04 per capita. As governments in these countries grapple with limited resources due to funding cuts and high debt burdens, this could make funding for mental health services even harder to come by. “There is more attention definitely to mental health. There [are] more people talking about their situation. But there is still limited serious commitment to change the situation,“ Dévora Kestel, director a.i. at the WHO department of NCDs and mental health, said in a press briefing ahead of the report’s launch on Tuesday. WHO officials say progress can be achieved even with limited resources if they are used efficiently. Countries, for instance, can spend their money investing in community-based mental health services instead of spending a large proportion of their budgets on psychiatric hospitals or asylums, which many still tend to do. A health issue affecting all ages and sexes Mental health disorders affect all age groups, from children less than 5 years old all the way through adults aged over 80. But data shows some disorders disproportionately affect certain age groups and sexes. It shows, for example, that eating disorders, depression, and anxiety are more common among females, while autism and ADHD are more prevalent among males. More than 10% of pregnant women and those who’ve given birth after a year suffer from depression. A large proportion of mental disorders start at a young age. WHO says a third of mental disorders present in adulthood would have developed by the age of 14, and half appear by the age of 18. WHO data found that the largest increase in mental health disorders between 2011 and 2021 was among young adults aged 20 to 29 years old, with anxiety being the most prevalent mental health disorder among this age group. It’s unclear what’s driving the rise in mental health disorders among young adults, but WHO officials hypothesize it has something to do with social media use and the COVID-19 pandemic. There are also ongoing wars and conflicts globally, violence at home, and bullying, which is “a powerful risk factor for anxiety,” Van Ommeren said. Too many are dying young Those with severe mental health conditions have shorter life expectancies, according to WHO. But estimates of mortality from mental health conditions are challenging, given that they are not often recorded as causes of death. The U.N. health agency estimates, however, that 1 in every 100 deaths globally is due to suicide, with more than 700,000 people losing their lives to suicide in 2021. And young people are hit hardest. More than half of suicides happen before the age of 50. It is the second leading cause of death in 15 to 29-year-old females, and the third leading cause of death among males in the same age group. But efforts to address this aren’t enough. In many countries, mental health services aren’t available, or there’s a long waitlist for services. Kestel said only 9% of people with depression get access to treatment. At the current pace, suicide rates will likely reduce by only 12% by 2030, far short of the Sustainable Development Goal target of reducing suicide rates by one third, she said.