Good mental health is related to mental and psychological well-being. Throughout the world, mental illness, also called mental health disorders, refers to a wide range of mental health conditions — disorders that affect your mood, thinking and behavior.
Examples of mental illness include depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders and addictive behaviors. Below are 10 Facts on Mental Health Issues:
- Mental, neurological and substance use disorders make up 10% of the global burden of disease and 25.1% of non-fatal disease burden.
- Depression is a common mental disorder. Globally, it is estimated that 5% of adults suffer from depression.
- Globally, mental disorders account for 1 in 6 years lived with disability.
- More than 700,000 people die by suicide every year. Suicide accounts for 1 in 100 deaths globally. Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death in individuals aged 15-29 years.
- Around 1 in 9 people in settings affected by conflict have a moderate or severe mental disorder.
- People with severe mental disorders die 10 to 20 years earlier than the general population.
- In low-income countries there are fewer than one mental health staff per 100,000 population, compared with more than 60 in high-income countries
- 40% of low-income countries do not include essential medicines that have been on the WHO Model list for essential medicines for decades, such as lithium carbonate mood stabilizer for bipolar disorder.
- The global economy loses about US$ 1 trillion per year in productivity due to depression and anxiety.
