Nearly one in 10 people worldwide have a mental health disorder, but only one per cent of the global health workforce is working in mental health, according to a report report.

The World Health Organization’s ‘Mental Health Atlas 2014’ released today, pointed out that nearly half of the world’s population lives in a country where there is less than one psychiatrist per 100,000 people.

The huge inequalities in access to mental health  services exist depending on where people live, it said.

On average globally, there is less than one mental health worker per 10,000 people. In low and middle-income countries rates fall below one per 100,000 people, whereas in high-income countries the rate is one per 2,000 people.
 


The global spending on mental health is still very low, with low and middle-income countries spending less than $2 per capita per year on mental health, and high-income countries spending more than $50, the report stated.

The majority of spending is going to mental hospitals, which serve a small proportion of those who need care. High-income countries still have a far higher number of mental hospital beds and admission rates than low-income countries at nearly 42 beds and 142 admissions per 100,000 population, it said.
 


The training of primary care staff in mental health is critical to building capacity for recognising and treating persons with severe and common mental disorders, said the report.

Since 2011, the number of nurses working in mental health has increased 35 per cent, but shortages still exist in all disciplines, particularly in low and middle-income countries.
 


It found that countries are making progress on creating policies, plans, and laws for mental health, which provide the bedrock for good governance and service development.

Two-thirds of countries have a policy or plan and half have a stand-alone mental health law. However, most of the policies and laws are not fully in line with international human rights instruments, implementation is often weak, and persons with mental disorders and family members are frequently only marginally involved in their development, it said.
 


In 2013, WHO launched the ‘Comprehensive mental health action plan 2013-2020’ with four objectives including strengthening leadership and governance for mental health; providing comprehensive mental health and social care services in community-based settings; implementing strategies to promote and prevent mental health; and strengthening information systems, evidence and research.
 


The report, which is the fourth and newest edition provides the baseline data to measure progress on the action plan targets. It provides data on the availability of mental health services and resources across the world, including financial allocations, human resources and specialised facilities for mental health from 171 countries. - TradeArabia News Service