- On a global level, Sweden ranks first among the countries with the highest percentage of the population with mental health problems.
- During the pandemic, the number of people affected increased.
- In Mexico, only 26% claimed to suffer from this type of disorder.
Mental health is a fundamental part of any person, although it is also one of the most neglected aspects. Some of the most common problems are depression, stress and anxiety but despite its high incidence, not all countries invest enough to offer alternatives to patients.
Need more investment around the world
According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Median spending on mental health services worldwide is 2.8% of total spending on health. Low-income countries spend around 0.5% of their health budget on mental health services, and high-income countries it is 5.1%.
In the Region of the Americas, spending ranges from 0.2% in Bolivia to the 8.6% reported by Suriname. There is a significant direct linear correlation between national income and public spending on mental health as a proportion of the total health budget.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that health spending be allocated in proportion to the burden of disease, and that there be parity between the physical and mental aspects of health care. In practical terms, this means that physical and mental health care services must be provided in an integrated manner, and that the percentage of spending allocated to mental health services must be proportional to the percentage of their attributable burden.
The current Covid-19 pandemic has caused great damage among the population. Although not everything is about the physical part because it is also, in part, responsible for a mental health crisis that is spreading throughout the world. Aspects such as isolation and the permanent fear of being infected caused severe affectations in a large part of the people. That is why disorders such as stress, depression and anxiety have increased exponentially in the last two years.
The most affected countries
In this regard, the Statista Global Consumer Survey performed a global analysis to determine the percentage of inhabitants of each country. One of the biggest surprises is to observe that in first position is Sweden, where 46 percent of the population acknowledges having had mental health problems during the last 12 months. Although it is one of the nations that has best handled the health emergency, it has not prevented concern from spreading to citizens.
For its part, slightly below is the United Kingdom, where 45 percent of the people interviewed declared having experienced depression, stress, or anxiety in the past year. While in the same analysis, Mexico appears quite low because only 26 percent of the population acknowledges having suffered from this type of disorder.
Now, all this becomes very important because mental health problems that are not treated can have deadly consequences. Sometimes affected people make decisions such as committing suicide and that is something that should be prevented.