New York: Investment in mental health has never been urgent, the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has stated.
"With nearly 1 billion people living with a mental health condition, it is essential that everyone, everywhere has access to quality care," the UN Chief said on his official twitter page on Monday.
Globally, before the COVID-19 pandemic, around 1 in 8 people lived with a mental health condition.
Gaps in treatment were unacceptably large, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
In the World Health Organization (WHO) South-East Asia Region, an estimated 1 in 7 people lived with a mental health condition, and in countries where data are available, the treatment gap ranged from 70–95%.
WHO South-East Asia consists of Bangladesh, Bhutan, North Korea, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste.
"The COVID-19 crisis has impacted almost all areas of health, but few as profoundly as mental health," Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia said in a statement on Monday.
World Mental Health Day is marked every year on October 10 to raise awareness about mental health around the world and to mobilize efforts to support those experiencing mental health issues.
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