Experts Say “World is in A Mental Health Crisis”

Every country in the world is currently facing a mental health crisis, but the majority are failing to tackle the issue and provide the help people need. Rates of diagnosed of anxiety and depression are affecting more people than ever, and according to a review by experts, this could equate to a rising cost of $16 trillion by the year 2030 if not properly addressed.

Lancet Medical journal assembled 28 global experts on the topics, to whom which responded by warning there is a “collective failure to respond to this global health crisis” which “results in monumental loss of human capabilities and avoidable suffering.” Despite modern medicine and therapy allowing for a wide range of treatments available, we are still failing as a society to truly understand and deal with mental health issues.

That’s not to mention developing countries that are highly unprepared to provide mental health services to its citizens. In some countries, people with mental health issues are treated as outcasts, are a publicly vilified and even abused and incarcerated. The report says, “Human rights violations and abuses persist in many countries, with large numbers of people locked away in mental institutions or prisons, or living on the streets, often without legal protection.”

Countries like China and India have reported that 80% of people with mental health refuse to seek treatment, citing fear of public humiliation. A startling finding in the report states that: “Tens of thousands of people with mental disorders are chained in their own homes, or in prayer camps and traditional healing facilities.”

The commission says that in order to address mental health, government investment and assistance will need to increase to meet the demands of mental health patients. If these needs are not met, mental health problems can become a costly issue that will have a serious effect on the global economy. To meet these issues head-on, the report says that we will need to place a priority on improving mental health, just as we do with our physical health. Experts recommend for the integration of mental health into routine primary care.

In the United States, 1 in 5 adults has a mental health condition, with more access than ever to those who can access it. Still, 56% of American adults with a mental illness did not receive treatment. This is a concerning issue that we are just beginning to truly understand, and there is much room to grow not just in our country, but globally, in making health a primary concern.

In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255.