For years, mental health has been commonly overlooked, especially through international policy. Treatment options for infections and infectious diseases are common worldwide, but mental health topics are often considered separate from each country. Mental health should be taken seriously by people from every country, culture, and financial level. Although mental health has global importance, some people are without proper treatment and support because of unequal rights, persistent stigmas, and missing international policies.
A major issue is that access to mental health treatment is much greater in wealthier nations than in nations with low and middle incomes. Based on data from the World Health Organization (WHO), most people in low-income countries with mental, neurological or substance use problems are not provided with any support. Problems with resources are only part of why we have this gap; society repeatedly fails to prioritize mental health. Only a small percentage of many nations’ health budgets goes to mental health which means their health services struggle to help even with basic mental health conditions. Along with this, mental health professionals are in short supply around the world. There are situations where one psychiatrist may serve thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of people.
Because of the conflicting stigmas connected to mental health, the issue is made even more difficult. Cultural beliefs and unspoken rules in different societies result in people not receiving support and governments not addressing mental health concerns within their laws. Some people in certain environments believe that mental health problems suggest that someone’s character is lacking, their faith is not strong, or they are simply not “steady”. Because of these attitudes, many people are left unsupported and collaboration between nations for better mental health policies becomes difficult.
Even though migration and changes brought by globalization are increasing, policies on mental health have not kept up. Frequently, language barriers cause refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants to miss out on mental health care. There are no international policies governing mental health for displaced people and due to this it can be difficult to keep up the care they receive as they move countries. Even though digital mental health tools have a lot of potential, there is no unified standard or regulation for them in different countries which can put foreign users at risk of facing unstable support and protection of their privacy.
Nations must quickly come together and focus on caring for people with mental health illnesses, narrowing the treatment gap, reducing stigma, and supporting stronger teamwork in health care.
Image Credit: M Booth Health
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