The World Health Organisation’s World Mental Health Today and Mental Health Atlas 2024 reveal alarming trends in the global mental health landscape. Suicide remains a leading cause of death, with 727,000 lives lost in 2021—one death for every 20 attempts. Young people are the most affected, and the UN target of reducing suicide rates by one-third by 2030 appears unlikely, with projections suggesting only a 12% reduction.

Over one billion people worldwide live with mental health disorders, mainly anxiety and depression. Prevalence has risen to 13.6%, with the sharpest increase among 20–29-year-olds. Gender patterns show males more affected by ADHD and autism, while females face higher rates of anxiety, depression, and eating disorders.

Mental health care delivery faces significant hurdles—lack of psychiatric beds, funding shortages, stigma, and a severe shortage of professionals, particularly in rural regions. Access remains limited due to high costs and disrupted continuity of care, often leading to financial and social hardships for patients.

WHO stresses the need for increased investment, community-based care, integration of psychiatric services into general hospitals, and stigma reduction. Building trained multidisciplinary teams and ensuring continuity of treatment are crucial to managing this global crisis.