A staggering 1.2 billion people worldwide are living with mental health-related disabilities, making it the number one cause of global disability—yet the burden remains profoundly unequal. Low- and middle-income countries bear 75% of this mental health disability burden despite having significantly fewer resources to address it.
Regional data underscores this disparity, with Sub-Saharan Africa experiencing 2,840 years lived with disability per 100,000 population, compared to North America’s 1,780. Depression and anxiety disorders account for 60% of all mental health-related disability globally, affecting approximately 281 million and 301 million people respectively. This stark inequality reveals a critical gap between disease burden and healthcare infrastructure, highlighting the urgent need for equitable mental health investment and resource allocation across the globe.
Read the full article on GMJ Newsroom.
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