In developed countries, 1 in 2 people are at risk of developing mental illness in their lifetime. However, according to a recent OECD report, these are not sufficiently well taken care of.
In OECD countries, not enough resources for mental health, and potentially disastrous economic consequences. At least that’s what the last published study on the subject and published by the Organization. While one in two people is at risk of developing a mental illness during their lifetime, they denounce poor care that could have a significant cost for the economy.
Almost 20% of the affected population
According to the latest data, 5% of the population is affected by severe mental illness, 15% from a more common mental illness. Alarming figures, especially since a good part of these patients are not treated properly. Thus, up to 56% of cases of depression would not receive adequate treatment, and up to 32% for schizophrenia. For the OECD, this is an untenable and costly situation for the economy as a whole.
The responsible economic crisis
Problem: the economic crisis has reduced the budgets allocated to health and research. The funds planned for the fight against mental illnesses only represent today between 5 and 18% of this budget. However, since 2008, states have made only negligible savings in the mental health sector, as the cost of care can represent up to 4% of their GDP.
To make matters worse, the crisis was accompanied by an increase in these diseases among the populations, due to the rise in unemployment and the deterioration of living conditions. And it’s a vicious cycle, because people with severe mental disorders are 6-7 times more likely to be unemployed. So it has urgency.
The OECD recommends new measures, better targeted and more focused on the prevention of mental illness. The Nordic countries, the good students of the report, could serve as a model for other OECD member countries. This involves, for example, providing better care for the youngest, who, with the crisis, are increasingly affected, or making better quality information available to the public on the consequences of not treating these pathologies. .
.
