Mental health conditions which cause human misery are also costing the global economy, according to a new report which calls for greater investment in mental health services.
The report, published in the Lancet Psychiatry, said that the returns outweigh the costs, with each $1 (70p) spent on mental health bringing a fourfold-return in health and economic benefits.
Mental health conditions which cause human misery are also costing the global economy, according to a new report which calls for greater investment in mental health services.
The report, published in the Lancet Psychiatry, said that the returns outweigh the costs, with each $1 (70p) spent on mental health bringing a fourfold-return in health and economic benefits.
The researchers looked at the investment in care in 36 countries, including the UK, and found that investment in mental health treatment and prevention was “very meagre”, ranging from $2 in low income countries to $50 (£35) per person per year in high income countries.
However they said the returns “far outweigh the costs.”
Worldwide the number of people suffering from depression or anxiety increased by nearly 50% between 1990 and 2013, from 416 million people to 615 million.
Close to 10% of the world’s population is affected, with mental disorders accounting for 30% of the global non-fatal disease burden.
The World Health Organization’s director general Margaret Chan said: “We know that treatment of depression and anxiety makes good sense for health and wellbeing; this new study conforms that it makes sound economic sense too.”
The study estimated that scaling up treatment, especially psychosocial counselling and antidepressant medication over 15 years from 2016 to 2030 would cost $147 billion (£103 billion). However, researchers calculated a 5% improvement in people participating in the labour force and better productivity is valued at $399 billion (£280 billion).
Improved health would add a further $310 billion (£217 billion) in returns.
However, WHO’s Mental Health Atlas 2014 survey found that governments spent on average 3% of their health budgets on mental health.
The authors said: “Depression and anxiety disorders are highly prevalent and disabling disorders, which result not only in enormous human misery and lost health, but lost economic output.”
They said there was a “global economic case” to alleviate mental health problems.
