Experts call for more resources worldwide to deal with mental illness

Sep 5 2007

Experts in Britain are calling for better recognition of the impact of mental illness on other health problems and for more resources worldwide to deal with mental health issues.

The team of leading health experts have made their demands by way of a new special series of papers on global mental health.

The papers are published by the medical journal, The Lancet and the experts say mental illness is marginalised and under-resourced, and is a neglected issue, especially in the developing world.

Mental illness accounts for about 14% of the total burden of global disease and is ranked higher than cancer and heart disease.

Nevertheless, mental health experts say there is a common belief that mental illnesses are not as life threatening or as distressing as other major illnesses.

The experts from the World Health Organization, the London School of Hygiene and the Institute of Psychiatry say it is a frustrating struggle to have their warnings taken seriously and to get mental health onto the global health agenda.

The team estimates that as many as 800,000 people commit suicide every year and nine out of ten have a mental disorder in the period before they take their life.

Yet in the stakes against malaria and HIV, mental illness is not perceived as equally life threatening.

Of those who do commit suicide four out of five live in low or middle income countries.

Mental health has a wide-ranging impact affecting quality of life, social relationships and the ability to be economically independent.

In countries such as Africa even the most basic life-saving health interventions are unaffordable and the authors say the problem is acute in developing countries where 90 percent of mentally ill people receive no treatment.

Professor Jeffery Sachs who is a special advisor to the United Nations warns that many in need of better mental health care have poor health systems and are already struggling to cope with other life-threatening diseases.

The team say people who have mental health problems are more likely to develop other health problems and may be susceptible to alcohol abuse, smoking and poor diet and physical fitness.

All these in turn lead to an increased risk of heart disease, cancer, strokes or diabetes.

When they do develop a serious physical illness, they are also less likely to get the medical help, social support and treatment they need.

Families suffer too and the team say evidence exists from India and Pakistan, that mothers who are depressed are more likely to have a malnourished child.

While the choice between bed-nets or anti-depressants is one no-one wants to make the health professionals say the real solution is to increase the amount of money being given to poorer countries for health.

The researchers said that unless governments adopted wide-reaching strategies, poor countries will be the worst affected in terms of mental illness in the near future.

The experts say basic mental health services can be provided cheaply and simply, especially if they are made part of general healthcare.