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UN Says Mental Disorders Are Set To Rise
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN’s health agency, mental and neurological disorders—ranging from depression to Alzheimer’s to epilepsy—currently strike 400 million people globally and are set to surge in the next two decades. Unless things change dramatically, they predict that, by 2020, depression will jump to become the second greatest cause of death and disability worldwide, following ischemic heart disease. WHO attributes the projected rise in depression to such factors as increasingly stressful lifestyles, impoverishment (measured by hunger, level of debt and education), and violence. Until a cure or significant treatment is found, Alzheimer’s disease, a debilitating dementia which affects many of the elderly, is also expected to increase markedly as people live longer.
“Stop Exclusion—Dare to Care”
Speaking at a news briefing Tuesday, January 9, 2000, while launching their new 2001 campaign aimed at removing myths and stigmas attached to mental health disorders and the interventions used to treat them, WHO officials announced the effort’s slogan: “Stop Exclusion—Dare to Care.”
“This (campaign) is overdue, given that mental health is a major cause of disability, family and community distress and loss of production,” said WHO’s Dr. Derek Yach. Dr. Benedetto Saraceno, director of WHO’s department of mental health and substance dependence said: “Mental health disorders and neurological diseases are a major public health concern worldwide. There is a common myth that mental health problems are those of rich, industrialized countries, a luxury,” but, he added, “mental and neurological problems are equally important in rich and poor countries.”
400 Million Needing Help
As many as 400 million people today suffer from mental and neurological disorders worldwide, explained Saraceno, a figure that represents 11% of the “global burden of disease,” and is expected to rise to as high as 14% in the next two decades.
“Unipolar major depression is today considered fifth in the ranking of major causes of death and disability and it is expected to jump to second place in 2020,” he said. According to the Geneva-based WHO, depression is currently the fifth leading cause of death and disability and ischemic heart disease trails in sixth place. Infectious diseases, which now lead the table, are generally expected to fall. “The good news,” Saraceno said, “is that mental health treatment does not require very expensive infrastructure…and we know that 70% of those suffering from major depression can fully recover if properly treated.”
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