WHO Cautions As Nearly 1 Billion Face Mental Health Challenges
Mental health, once a silent crisis, is now a global emergency, with nearly one billion people affected and suicide ranking among the top killers of young people.
The Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, issued the warning ahead of the High-Level Meeting on Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) and Mental Health scheduled for 25 September at the United Nations.
He cautioned that failure to act decisively would not only cost millions of lives but also weaken economies already burdened by health costs. “Non-communicable diseases include seven of the world’s top ten causes of death.
In addition, almost one billion people face mental health conditions, and suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people,” he said.
In Nigeria, the suicide mortality rate stood at 3.5 per 100,000 as of January 2024, accounting for about 15,000 deaths annually, most occurring among people aged 15–29.
Countries have been negotiating a political declaration to be adopted at the UN General Assembly.
Targets include cutting tobacco use by 150 million people, expanding access to mental health care for another 150 million, and helping 150 million achieve control of hypertension by 2030.
Dr Tedros stressed that investing in prevention is not an expense but an economic strategy. “It’s one of the smartest economic decisions any government can make.
But often, governments face fierce opposition from industries that profit from unhealthy products,” he noted, urging bold leadership.
