The 2001 World Health Assessment: One In Four People Are Affected By Mental Illness.

 

There is a treatment, but no one uses it.

                               

 Treatment is available, but not being used as of September 28, 2001, according to the news release. 4 minutes, 951 words:

 At some point in their lives, one in four people will be affected by mental or neurological disorders. These conditions currently affect around 450 million people, making mental illnesses one of the leading causes of disability and ill health worldwide.

Although there are treatments available, nearly two-thirds of people with known mental disorders never seek medical assistance. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), stigma, discrimination, and neglect prevent people with mental disorders from receiving care and treatment. When someone is neglected, there is little to no empathy. Neglect occurs when there is no understanding.

The United Nations health agency wants to break this cycle in a new report called "New Understanding, New Hope." It encourages governments to look for affordable and already available solutions for mental health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), governments should integrate mental health care into primary health care and the overall health care system instead of large mental institutions.

Mental illness is not a sign of failure on one's part. "In fact, if there is a failure, it is in the way we have dealt with people with mental and brain disorders," said WHO Director-General Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland at the World Health Report's release. She continued, "I hope this report will dispel long-held doubts and dogma and usher in a new era of public health in the field of mental health."

According to WHO, policymakers are blinded from taking stock of a situation in which mental disorders are among the leading causes of disease and disability worldwide due to a lack of urgency, misinformation, and competing demands. Depressive disorders are currently the fourth most common cause of disease worldwide. By 2020, they will likely be second only to ischaemic heart disease but ahead of all other conditions.

To effect positive change in the acceptance and treatment of mental disorders, the report encourages governments to make strategic choices and decisions. Some mental illnesses can be avoided, according to the report; The majority of mental and behavioral disorders can be treated successfully; and a lot of this prevention, treatment, and cure is affordable.

With the right treatment, people with mental disorders can live productive lives and be a vital part of their communities, despite the chronic and long-term nature of some mental disorders. At the end of a year of antipsychotic medication and family counseling, over 80% of people with schizophrenia can stop relapses. With the right dosage of antidepressants and psychotherapy, up to 60% of people with depression can get better. With simple, low-cost anticonvulsants, up to 70% of epileptics can avoid seizures.

According to WHO, governments are accountable for taking action. Over 30% of nations lack a mental health program and over 40% have no mental health policy at all.

Mental health laws are absent in about 25% of nations. The size and efficacy of the response required do not match the magnitude of the mental health burden. More than 33% of nations currently devote less than 1% of their overall health budgets to mental health, and another 33% of nations devote just 1% of their budgets to mental health. The majority of mental disorders can be treated with a small number of medications. However, the three most commonly prescribed medications for treating schizophrenia, depression, and epilepsy are not available at the primary healthcare level in about 25% of nations. Over half of the world's nations have fewer than one psychiatrist for every 100,000 people, and 40% of nations have fewer than one mental health hospital bed for every 10,000 people.

The poor frequently bear a greater burden of mental disorders, both in terms of the likelihood of developing one and the difficulty obtaining treatment for it. Poor people are more likely to be vulnerable because of their poor health, dangerous living conditions, constant exposure to extremely stressful events, and exploitation. The illness becomes more severe and incapacitating as a result of a lack of affordable treatment, creating a never-ending cycle of poverty and mental health issues.

According to the report, new information can significantly alter how individuals, societies, and the public health community deal with mental disorders. We now know that patients and their families no longer have the best choice when it comes to large mental institutions. Social skills are lost, restrictions are too strict, human rights are violated, people become dependent, and chances for rehabilitation are less likely. Countries should plan to establish community care alternatives, ensuring that these alternatives continue to exist even as institutions are phased out.

"Scientific evidence, ethics, and experience all point to distinct options.". According to Dr. Benedetto Saraceno, Director of the WHO's Mental Health and Substance Dependence department, "a failure to act will reflect a lack of commitment to address mental health problems."

According to WHO, the policy directions have never been more clear. Priorities must be established by governments that are just beginning to address mental health. There are a lot of services and a lot of strategies for prevention and promotion to choose from.

The WHO's message is that any nation, regardless of its limited resources, can improve its citizens' mental health. Courage and a determination to take the necessary actions are required.

A year-long campaign on mental health includes this report. World Health Day, WHO's premier report, technical discussions at the World Health Assembly, and multiple events have all focused on mental health for the first time.