General Article ‘Overlooked and underfunded’: experts call for global action to deal with depression

Topic Selected: Depression Book Volume: 404

Globally, the World Health Organization estimates that 5% of adults worldwide suffer from depression each year. Nevertheless, it remains a neglected health crisis, which is frequently first experienced from the onset of adolescence.

Despite long-established research demonstrating that there is much that policymakers can be doing to prevent depression and aid recovery even in a resource-limited setting, in high-income countries, around half of the people suffering from depression are not diagnosed or treated. In contrast, this rises to 80-90% in middle-income countries.

The Covid-19 pandemic has created additional challenges, notably social isolation, bereavement, uncertainty, economic insecurity, and limited access to healthcare, which are all serious factors taking a severe toll on the mental health of millions worldwide.

Against this backdrop, The Lancet and World Psychiatric Association Commission’s Time for united action on depression document calls for a concerted and collabora...

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