Mental Health in Low Resource Countries

Mental health disorders (MHDs) are the leading cause of morbidity worldwide, with one in eight people affected at some point in their life globally. In low resource countries (LRCs) where social determinants such as conflict, violence and civil unrest exist, the prevalence increases to one in five people. Despite this disease burden, LRCs account for only 6% of existing research on MHDs. Additionally, there are insufficient resources dedicated to recognising and providing support to those with psychiatric conditions, with some areas having 2 trained mental health professionals servicing an area of approximately 100,000 people. To better manage mental health in LRCs, mental health illiteracy and stigma need to be addressed, and further investments in mental health require to be secured such as redistribution of monetary resources, incremental increase of the mental health budget and prevalence assessments.