The World Health Organisation has sounded an alarm as more than a billion people worldwide are living with mental health conditions, noting that services require urgent scale-up.

WHO, in a report released on Tuesday, stated that individuals, families, and countries had been affected by the situation.

Disorders such as anxiety and depression are exacting a heavy toll on individuals, families, and economies, yet most countries are failing to provide adequate support.

Mental health problems are widespread across every society and age group and remain the second leading cause of long-term disability.

They drive up healthcare costs for families and governments, while costing the global economy an estimated $1 trillion each year in lost productivity, according to UN health experts.

The findings are detailed in two new reports, World Mental Health Today and the Mental Health Atlas 2024.

Together, they demonstrate that while progress has been made since 2020, the world remains far off track in addressing the scale of the crisis.

The reports will help to inform debate at a UN high-level meeting on noncommunicable diseases and mental health, to be held later in September in New York.

“Transforming mental health services is one of the most pressing public health challenges,” WHO director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus said. “Investing in mental health means investing in people, communities, and economies, an investment no country can afford to neglect. Every leader has a responsibility to act urgently and to ensure mental health care is treated not as a privilege, but as a basic right.”

Women are disproportionately affected by mental health conditions, with anxiety and depression most common among both sexes.

Suicide claimed an estimated 727,000 lives in 2021 and is a leading cause of death among young people.

On current trends, the world will fall far short of the UN target to reduce suicide deaths by a third by 2030, managing only a 12 per cent reduction.

Median government spending on mental health remains at just two per cent of health budgets, unchanged since 2017. While high-income countries spend up to $65 per person on mental health, low-income countries spend as little as four cents.

The mental health workforce is dangerously thin in many regions. There are just 13 mental health workers for every 100,000 people worldwide.

Fewer than one in 10 countries has fully moved to community-based care, with most still relying heavily on psychiatric hospitals. Almost half of inpatient admissions are involuntary, and more than one in five patients remain hospitalised for over a year.

Despite these challenges, there have been some positive developments. More countries are integrating mental health into primary healthcare and expanding early intervention programmes in schools and communities.

Over 80 per cent of countries now include mental health and psychosocial support in emergency response, up from less than 40 per cent in 2020.

Telehealth services are also becoming increasingly available, although access remains uneven.

WHO is urging governments to step up investment and reform, warning that the current pace of progress is too slow to meet global goals. Key priorities include:

The UN health agency stressed that mental health should be treated as a fundamental human right. 

Without urgent action, millions will continue to suffer without support, and societies will bear rising social and economic costs. 

(NAN)