New Delhi (NVI): The number of people worldwide who die from suicide is declining but one person still kills themselves every 40 seconds, WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said today.
On the occasion of World Mental Health Day, Tedros took to twitter and wrote, “Close to 1 billion people are living with a mental disorder, and one person dies every 40 seconds by suicide. Yet relatively few people globally have access to quality mental health services.”
He further stated, “In low and middle-income countries, more than 75 per cent of people with mental, neurological and substance use disorders receive no treatment for their condition at all.”
It is time for this to change, WHO chief said, adding, “We must increase investment in mental health services on a massive scale, so that access to quality mental health services becomes a reality for everyone.”
WHO also stated, “Nearly, 3 million people die every year from the harmful use of alcohol and one person dies every 40 seconds by suicide. And now, billions of people around the world have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which is having a further impact on people’s mental health.”
Worldwide, more men killed themselves than women, WHO said in a report, with 7.5 suicide deaths per 100,000 women and 13.7 suicides per 100,000 men. The only countries where the suicide rate was estimated to be higher in women than men were Bangladesh, China, Lesotho, Morocco, and Myanmar.
Furthermore, World Health Organization (WHO) recently stated that countries needed to do more to stop these preventable deaths.
Moreover, it added, a good mental health has been of utmost importance to live a quality life. But, now, due to the onset of COVID-19 pandemic, it has become urgency to highlight the significance of mental health and increase investment in chronically underfunded sectors.
Mental Health Day is observed every year across the globe for mental health education, awareness, advocacy against the social stigma that is often attached to it.
-CHK
