#MHForAll Webinar: State of the World’s Mental Health Today
On Tuesday 2nd September, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the latest edition of the WHO Mental Health Atlas and the World Mental Health Today report. Together, these publications provide the most comprehensive picture of the state of mental health worldwide. The Mental Health Atlas tracks progress in policies, funding, services, and workforce across 144 countries, revealing persistent gaps in investment and access to care. The World Mental Health Today report highlights the current lived reality, that more than one billion people currently experience mental health conditions, yet most lack adequate support.
At the launch webinar, organised by the Global Mental Health Action Network (GMHAN) and WHO, and hosted by United for Global Mental Health, field experts and representatives from the WHO Department of NCDs and Mental Health discussed key findings and new insights from these reports. Our panellists shared recommendations to improve data collection and suggestions on how to utilise the available evidence to enhance national and global mental health policy and practice.
Expert Panellists:
Sarah Kline, United for Global Mental Health, UK
Dan Chisholm, WHO Department of NCDs and Mental Health, Switzerland
Mark van Ommeren, WHO Department of NCDs and Mental Health, Switzerland
Priti Sridhar, Mariwala Health Initiative, India
Stephanie Whiteman, University of the West Indies, Barbados
Key findings from the World Mental Health Today report
🔹 Anxiety and depressive conditions are the most common types of mental health conditions among both men and women. While the prevalence of mental health conditions can vary by sex, women are disproportionately impacted overall.
🔹 Suicide claimed an estimated 727,000 lives in 2021 alone and remains a leading cause of death among young people across all countries and socioeconomic contexts.
🔹 The indirect costs of mental health conditions – particularly in lost productivity – are far greater than the healthcare costs. Depression and anxiety alone cost the global economy an estimated US$ 1 trillion each year.
Key findings from the WHO Mental Health Atlas
🔹Many countries have updated their policies, adopted rights-based approaches, and enhanced preparedness for mental health and psychosocial support during health emergencies. However, only 45% of the evaluated countries' laws are in full compliance with international human rights standards.
🔹 Median government spending on mental health remains at just 2% of total health budgets – unchanged since 2017. While high-income countries spend up to US$65 per person on mental health, low-income countries spend as little as US$0.04.
🔹 The global median number of mental health workers stands at 13 per 100,000 people, with extreme shortages in low- and middle-income countries.
🔹 Fewer than 10% of countries have fully transitioned to community-based care models. Inpatient care continues to rely heavily on psychiatric hospitals, with nearly half of admissions occurring involuntarily and over 20% lasting longer than a year.
What needs to be done: There is an urgent need for sustained investment, stronger prioritisation, and multi-sectoral collaboration to expand access to mental health care, reduce stigma, and tackle the root causes of mental health conditions.
Hear from the experts: “Mental health advocates should use the WHO Mental Health Atlas to…”
🔹Stephanie: “Track all progress, encourage more advocacy and push our governments to do more!”
🔹Priti: “Initiate conversations on mental health and the need to integrate it in existing government programmes, and ask for increased investment in prevention models!”
🔹 Mark: “Advocate to the Ministers of Finance!”
Resources to support your advocacy
🔸 Download GMHAN’s mental health financing brief, Urging Ministries to Invest in Mental Health
🔸 Download GMHAN’s advocacy Guide, From International Days to Awareness Weeks - Advocating for Mental Health when the World is Watching
🔸 Read United for Global Mental Health’s guide, Financing of mental health: the current situation and ways forward
Polls conducted during the webinar captured the global mental health community’s reactions to the new findings in these publications.
Webinar poll: “Based on what you heard today, which of the following do you find most surprising?”
60% of respondents were surprised to see that government spending rate have not changed since 2017.
21% of respondents were surprised to see two-thirds of countries have an MHPSS system in place.
Webinar poll: “From your perspective or in your line of work, which of these facts and figures do you find most important to address?”
58% of respondents noted that government spending on mental health is the most important factor to address to improve global mental health.
19% of respondents recognised the importance of addressing the prevalence of mental health, with nearly 1 in 7 people living with a diagnosable mental disorder in 2021.
GMHAN is a community of advocates that makes change happen.
We’re committed to:
Enabling advocates to influence key global structures and decisions, and advocating on a national and global stage for what matters locally.
Nurturing community and providing a global "home" for mental health advocates and activists, often excluded from traditional power structures.
Utilising our global reach and networks to bring people and organisations together, and supporting advocates to strengthen their skills, learning and awareness.
Leading by example, holding the sector to account and championing diverse and culturally appropriate mental health leadership.
Join over 7,000 advocates from 170+ countries working to strengthen global mental health advocacy and improve mental health for all!
