By Abiola Olawale
The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised a concern, declaring that about one billion people worldwide are grappling with mental health conditions.
The WHO said many people in the world are battling mental health disorders, including anxiety, depression, and other conditions.
The Director General of the WHO, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, raised the alarm ahead of the High-Level Meeting on Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health slated for September 25.
He warned that failure to address the health conditions would cost millions of lives and strain economies.
He said: “Non-communicable diseases include 7 of the world’s top 10 causes of death. In addition, almost 1 billion people face mental health conditions.
“Countries that act decisively to beat NCDS will save millions of lives, protect families, cut health costs, and unlock economic growth.
“In addition, more than one billion people face mental health conditions, and suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people.
“Apart from cutting lives short and robbing families of their loved ones, these deaths also incur huge costs for health systems and economies.”
The WHO chief also noted that suicide was the fourth leading cause of death among 15–29-year-olds globally, with 73% of cases occurring in low- and middle-income countries.
