Mental Health: A Forgotten Facet of Healthcare

Globally close to 450 million people have mental health disorders; more than 75% of that number live in developing countries. According to the World Health Organization, 85% of patients in developing countries with serious mental disorders receive no treatment at all. For the first time, world leaders are recognizing the promotion of mental health and wellbeing (SDG Goal 3.4) and the prevention and treatment of substance abuse (SDG Goal 3.5) as part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Unless governments tackle mental health, they will not meet the SDG 3 targets. Medicus Mundi Switzerland addresses the issue of mental health as part of its annual focus on non-communicable diseases. (Illustration: WHO's World Health Day Campaign 2017 "Let's Talk")