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WHO: The cost of treating mental disorders is $3 per person per year
Last reviewed: 30.06.2025
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Calculations by WHO experts have shown that the cost of treating mental disorders among the world's population is about 3 dollars per year per person.
WHO calls on authorities around the world to improve the quality of health services for people suffering from mental and neurological diseases.
The World Health Organization's Mental Health Atlas analyzes data from 184 countries. The study's authors claim that one in four people needs medical psychological care for a mental disorder. However, the cost of treating these illnesses per capita is about $3 a year, and in third-world countries this amount can reach 25 cents.
Lack of funding is not the only problem, says Shekhar Saxen, director of the Department of Mental Health. There is a severe shortage of psychiatrists and psychologists in third world countries.
"For example, in Africa there are countries with a population of 9 million people and only one psychiatrist... And in Asia there is a country with a population of 29 million people and two psychiatrists. Whereas in rich countries the number of psychiatrists per 100,000 people is 150 times greater."
According to the report, only 50% of the population in Europe and North America has access to treatment for mental illness.
The authors of the study say that most of the money earmarked for mental health treatment is spent on long-term treatment in psychiatric hospitals. This is a highly inefficient use of scarce resources. Shekhar Saxena calls on governments to start reallocating money towards primary mental health and psychological care rather than expensive treatment in psychiatric hospitals.
The Atlas of Mental Health describes a program for training and advanced training of general practitioners and nurses in the field of mental health, which will make it possible to reduce the workload of specialists.