Europe spends more on improving the mental health of its population than any other region in the world, but with such high rates of morbidity, even more investment is urgently needed, writes Politico.
That is one of the warnings in reports published by the World Health Organization (WHO) on the 2nd of September. The two reports discuss the mental health policies and mental well-being of governments. Both reports compare mental health and related policies in 2021 and 2024, and indicate that countries are racing against time, as the number of mental illnesses is increasing, which is both a strain on national budgets and has a significant impact on disability rates.
In the WHO European Region, governments spent 51.76 dollars per person on mental health in 2024, which is much more than anywhere else. The next largest region for mental health spending is North and South America, with 6.86 dollars per person. European countries also spend a larger share of their budget on mental health issues – 4.5%.
In other regions, an average of 2.1% of the total annual budget is allocated to it.
The number of mental illnesses has increased in all WHO regions since 2001. The most dramatic increase has been in the Americas and Europe. According to 2021 data, more than a billion people worldwide suffer from mental illnesses. Overall, the diseases are evenly distributed, although Europe has a slightly lower number of anxiety disorders. At the same time, intellectual development problems are more common in Europe and Southeast Asia.
Too little funding for mental health means that people cannot receive the services they need. Only 9% of people with depression and about 40% of people suffering from psychosis receive the necessary treatment.
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