UN Urgently Calls for Better Mental Healthcare
The UN’s World Health Organization released a report yesterday that highlights the urgency of addressing mental health and transforming mental healthcare worldwide. The report, “World Mental Health Report: Transforming Mental Health for All,” is the most UN’s most comprehensive report on global mental health this century. It gives evidence of high need but inadequate and insufficient care. WHO offered some compelling statistics:
1 billion
Nearly 1 billion people worldwide, including 14% of all teens, are living with a mental health disorder.
1 in 100
Suicide accounts for 1 in 100 deaths. Most people who die by suicide are under the age of 50. Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in 15-29 year-olds.
25%
Depression and anxiety went up by 25% during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
10-20 years
People with severe mental health disorders die on average 10 to 20 years earlier than the general population.
$1 trillion
The global economy loses around $1 trillion in productivity each year due to anxiety and depression.
The report, designed to inspire systemic change, promotes collaborative efforts to deepen the commitment to mental health, reshape environments like schools and workplaces that influence mental health, and strengthen systems in the community that care for people with mental health challenges.
Recognizing and honoring the need for wide access to mental health care, Vertex Counseling and Wellness takes Carefirst/BCBS and CIGNA plans for individual and family therapy and offers reduced rates for people who are uninsured or underinsured.
by Lisa Isenman, LGPC Intern, Communications Chair and Executive Officer for the International Association for Counselling
https://www.who.int/news-room/facts-in-pictures/detail/mental-health
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240049338