The World Health Organisation (WHO) has formally called the world a mental health crisis with rising trends in rates of depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders.

The release comes when a new study on mental health involving all the 195 countries of the world showed the effects of COVID-19, economic crisis, and wars on the mental health of people.

The WHO’s Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus pointed out the severity of the problem during a press briefing in Geneva The current state of mental health worldwide can be described as critical at best.

What we are witnessing today is a new trend in mental health disorders which cuts across the age and geographical barriers. The global governments and health systems must now consider mental health as important as the physical health of a nation’s citizen.

From the findings of the survey, it is very clear that the state of mental health around the world is very poor.

Key findings include:

1.  Anxiety and depression are up 25% since 2019
2. An increase of reported burnout rate of 40 percent among the health care providers
3.  A 50% increase in the number of cases of substance abuse disorders especially in areas that are most affected by economic problems.
4.  High risk of suicidal behaviors among youths, including a third increase in the incidence rates.

As a result of these studies, the WHO has provided a framework of a detailed plan that recommends more funding to mental health services, integration of mental health services into primary healthcare services and the use of proven prevention programs.

According to Dr. Dévora Kestel, the WHO’s Director of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Use: ‘We require a multifaceted approach to combating this situation – health and social interventions, as well as poverty, inequality and violence. ’ Currently, it is equally important to increase by an order of magnitude the availability of effective and high-quality mental health services.

The action plan includes specific recommendations for governments, including:

1.  Health budgets being set aside with not less than five percent being put towards mental health services
2.  The school based mental health programs to enhance well being of children and adolescents.
3.  Increasing the numbers of mental health personnel and linking mental health care with primary care.
4.  A popular approach to combating stigma and discrimination is through using public education crusades.
5.  Spending in research as a way of coming up with better treatment and preventing measures.

Psychologists of the globe have endorsed the WHO decision and proposed action plan. According to Dr. Vikram Patel, Professor of Global Health at Harvard Medical School, This is good, but much overdue, in identifying the global burden of mental health. The WHO has an action plan to address this crisis but the implementation of this plan will require political will and commitment from governments across the world.

The declaration has also created debate over the ability of technology to solve the mental health issue. Teletherapy and also mental health applications to in the pandemic have become popular among the people.

Dr. John Torous, the Director of the Digital Psychiatry Division at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center commented While technology cannot substitute touch or counseling, it can go a long way in ensuring that people in need of mental health support get the help that they need especially in regions where there is a shortage of psychiatrists.

In light of this proclaimed mental health crisis, WHO’s action plan for mental health is a wake-up call for countries, health care systems and societies to wake up from the lethargy and work towards achieving the goal of a mentally healthy society.