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 The number of people affected by humanitarian crises has nearly
doubled in the past decade, and the number of people forced to flee
their homes - more than 60 million - is at its highest since World
War Two.
The WHO estimates the prevalence of common mental disorders,
including anxiety and depression, can double during a humanitarian
crisis to up to 20 percent of the population from 10 percent in
normal times.
"The number of people affected by humanitarian crises is increasing
globally, which also increases mental health needs," Inka
Weissbecker, global mental health and psychosocial adviser at aid
agency International Medical Corps, told the Thomson Reuters
Foundation in an interview.
She is on one of the panels organized by the World Bank and WHO
around the high-level meeting.
Some countries affected by war - like Sierra Leone and South Sudan -
have only one or two psychiatrists to treat the entire population,
she said.
Until recently, donors for South Sudan considered mental health care
a luxury in a country with one of the world's highest maternal death
rates, Weissbecker said.
"The problem with mental health is it's often invisible because it's
not measured, so people such as donors or local governments may not
think about it, or think it's important," she added.
Stigma and lack of knowledge are big barriers in all countries, with
many people unaware that mental illnesses are treatable, Weissbecker
said.
Mark van Ommeren, public mental health adviser at WHO, said: "We
have a lot of data showing that mental health is a much bigger
problem, a much bigger part of life, than people previously realized
– it's one of the elephants in the room."
Wars and natural disasters can open a window for a fresh focus on
mental health care, which in turn can be vital to improving a
country's economy and overall development, he said.
A WHO-led study published on Tuesday said that every $1 invested in
scaling up treatment for depression and anxiety led to a return of
$4 in better health and ability to work.
The study estimates for the first time both the health and the
economic benefits of investing in treatment, and is based on studies
of 36 low, middle and high-income countries.
Many countries, including Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, have
transformed their mental health care as a result of an emergency.
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Before the 2004 South Asian tsunami hit Sri Lanka, most of the
island nation's mental health care was offered by hospitals in big
cities, and the majority of people needing treatment did not receive
it, according to a paper van Ommeren co-authored.
After the tsunami, the government realized more widespread care was
needed to help the acute distress of survivors. It introduced
community-based and comprehensive care, and set up a one-year
diploma course to train more carers in mental health.
Afghanistan too has prioritized mental health since the fall of the
Taliban government in 2001, and it aims to roll out access to some
form of care in all primary health clinics across the country.
Other countries that have improved their mental health care include
Burundi, Indonesia's Aceh province, Iraq, Jordan, Kosovo, East
Timor, Lebanon and now Syria.
"The interest in mental health in and after an emergency is
enormous.
"It's not surprising to see that the countries who have made the
greatest progress in mental health system development are those that
have been through emergencies," van Ommeren said.
Although aid agencies are offering much more mental health care in
emergencies than just a few years ago, the gap between what is in
place and what is needed remains huge, he said.
"We are able to do very good things for people that are helped - but
most people are not helped," he said.
(Reporting by Alex Whiting, editing by Tim Pearce.; Please credit
the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson
Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking,
corruption and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)
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