Wed Sep 03 12:05:00 UTC 2025: **FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
**The Hindu: Global Mental Health Crisis Worsens, WHO Urges Urgent Investment**
**New Delhi – September 3, 2025** – A staggering one in seven people worldwide, over a billion individuals, were living with mental health conditions in 2021, according to a concerning new report from the World Health Organization (WHO). Anxiety and depressive disorders account for the majority of these cases, placing immense human and economic burdens on societies globally.
The WHO’s “World Mental Health Today” and “Mental Health Atlas 2024” reports, released today, highlight the urgency of addressing this growing crisis. Suicide is a major cause of death among young people, with over one in 100 deaths globally attributed to suicide and approximately 20 attempts for each fatality. Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder also remain primary concerns, with schizophrenia, characterized by hallucinations and disorganized thinking, identified as the most impairing of all health conditions and the costliest mental disorder per person to society.
The findings, based on data from the WHO’s Global Health Estimates 2021 and the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries and Risk Factors Study 2021, are the first comprehensive estimates on the prevalence and burden of mental disorders since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The reports reveal critical gaps in mental health care across countries, underscoring the need for sustained investment and a scale-up of services.
“Transforming mental health services is one of the most pressing public health challenges,” stated WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Investing in mental health means investing in people, communities, and economies – an investment no country can afford to neglect. Every government and every leader has a responsibility to act with urgency and to ensure that mental health care is treated not as a privilege, but as a basic right for all.”
The reports also highlight the significant economic impact of mental health disorders, with yearly losses in global productivity linked to depression and anxiety estimated at $1 trillion. Despite progress in strengthening mental health policies and planning since 2020, these efforts have not yet translated into meaningful legal reform.
Governments worldwide continue to allocate only a small fraction of their total health budgets to mental health, averaging just 2% – a figure unchanged since 2017. Expenditure disparities are vast, ranging from $65 per person in high-income countries to a mere $0.04 in low-income countries. Furthermore, a severe shortage of mental health workers persists, with an average of 13 professionals catering to 100,000 people globally, particularly in low- and middle-income nations.
The WHO urges governments and leaders to prioritize mental health, ensuring access to care and promoting mental well-being as a fundamental right for all.
**About The Hindu:**
The Hindu is a leading Indian newspaper providing comprehensive coverage of national and international news, including in-depth analysis of global affairs from an Indian perspective.
**About the WHO:**
The World Health Organization (WHO) is the United Nations agency for international health, working to promote health, keep the world safe, and serve the vulnerable.
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