A Billion in Crisis, Minds Need Urgent Boost
Geneva: Over 1 billion people worldwide live with mental health disorders, with anxiety and depression exacting a heavy toll on individuals, families, and economies, according to new data from the World Health Organization (WHO). The organisation’s reports, World Mental Health Today and Mental Health Atlas 2024, highlight progress in mental health policies but expose critical gaps in service delivery, calling for an urgent scale-up of global mental health services to meet this escalating crisis.
The WHO’s call to “scale-up” services emphasises a transformative expansion of mental health care, prioritising equitable financing, human rights-based reforms, workforce development, and community-based models to address the needs of over 1 billion affected individuals. Mental health conditions, particularly anxiety and depression, are the second leading cause of long-term disability, contributing to significant loss of healthy life across all ages and income levels. The economic impact is staggering, with depression and anxiety alone costing the global economy an estimated US$1 trillion annually, primarily due to lost productivity. “Transforming mental health services is one of the most pressing public health challenges,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Investing in mental health means investing in people, communities, and economies—an investment no country can afford to neglect.”
The reports, based on data from 144 countries, reveal that women are disproportionately affected by mental health disorders, though anxiety and depression remain the most common conditions across genders. Suicide, a devastating outcome, claimed 727,000 lives in 2021 and ranks as a leading cause of death among young people globally. Current trends suggest only a 12% reduction in suicide rates by 2030, far short of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of a one-third reduction, underscoring the need for intensified prevention efforts.
Progress in mental health policy has been notable since 2020, with many countries updating policies, adopting rights-based approaches, and improving psychosocial support during emergencies. Over 80% of countries now integrate mental health and psychosocial support into emergency responses, up from 39% in 2020. Additionally, 71% of countries meet at least three of five WHO criteria for integrating mental health into primary care, and most report functional initiatives like early childhood development, school-based mental health, and suicide prevention programs. Outpatient services and telehealth are also becoming more available, though access remains uneven, particularly in low-income nations.
Despite these advances, significant barriers persist. Only 45% of countries have mental health laws fully compliant with international human rights standards, and fewer than 10% have transitioned to community-based care models, with many still relying on psychiatric hospitals where nearly half of admissions are involuntary and over 20% last longer than a year. Government spending on mental health remains stagnant at a median of 2% of health budgets since 2017, with stark disparities: high-income countries spend up to US$65 per person, while low-income countries allocate as little as US$0.04. The global median of mental health workers is 13 per 100,000 people, with severe shortages in low- and middle-income countries. Data gaps further complicate efforts, as only 22 countries provided sufficient data to estimate psychosis service coverage, revealing that fewer than 10% of affected individuals in low-income countries receive care, compared to over 50% in higher-income nations.
The WHO urges governments and global partners to prioritise systemic transformation, including equitable financing, legal reforms to uphold human rights, investment in mental health workers, and expansion of community-based, person-centred care. These findings will inform discussions at the United Nations High-Level Meeting on noncommunicable diseases and mental health on September 25, 2025, in New York, aiming to shape national strategies and global dialogue.
The call to scale-up services highlights the human and economic stakes. Without action, the WHO warns, millions will continue to suffer, and societies will face rising costs from untreated mental health conditions. The push for transformation seeks to make mental health care a universal right, but entrenched disparities and underinvestment pose formidable challenges to achieving this goal.
– global bihari bureau
