SIXTY-FIFTH WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY WHA65.

Agenda item 13.2 25 May 2012

The global burden of mental disorders and the need

The Sixty-fifth World Health Assembly,

Having considered the report on the global burden of mental disorders and the need for a
comprehensive, coordinated response from health and social sectors at the country level;1

Recalling resolution WHA55.10, which, inter alia, urged Member States to increase investments
in mental health, both within countries and in bilateral and multilateral cooperation, as an integral
component of the well-being of populations;

Recalling further United Nations General Assembly resolution 65/95, which recognized that
mental health problems are of major importance to all societies and are significant contributors to the
burden of disease and the loss of quality of life, and have huge economic and social costs, and which
also welcomed the WHO report on mental health and development that highlighted the lack of
appropriate attention to mental health and made the case for governments and development actors to
reach out to people with mental disorders in the design of strategies and programmes that include
those people in education, employment, health, social protection and poverty reduction policies;

Noting the High-level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on the Prevention and
Control of Non-communicable Diseases (New York, 19 and 20 September 2011), at which it was
recognized that mental and neurological disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, are an important
cause of morbidity and contribute to the global noncommunicable disease burden, necessitating
provision of equitable access to effective programmes and health-care interventions;

Recognizing that mental disorders can lead to disabilities, as reflected in the United Nations
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which also notes that disability results from the
interaction between persons with impairments and attitudinal and environmental barriers that hinder
their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others, and that the World report
on disability 2011 charts the steps that are required to improve the participation and inclusion of
people with disabilities, including those with mental disabilities;

Recognizing also that mental disorders fall within a wider spectrum that includes neurological
and substance-use disorders, which also cause substantial disability and require a coordinated response
from health and social sectors;

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Concerned that millions of people worldwide are affected by mental disorders, and that in 2004,
mental disorders accounted for 13% of the global burden of disease, defined as premature death
combined with years lived with disability, and also that, when taking into consideration only the
disability component of the burden of disease calculation, mental disorders accounted for 25.3% and
33.5% of all years lived with a disability in low- and middle-income countries, respectively;

Concerned also that exposure to humanitarian emergencies is a potent risk factor for mental
health problems and psychological trauma and that social structures and ongoing formal and informal
care of persons with severe, pre-existing, mental disorders are disrupted;

Recognizing further that the treatment gap for mental disorders is large all over the world, that
between 76% and 85% of people with severe mental disorders in low- and middle-income countries
receive no treatment for their mental health conditions, and that the corresponding figures for high-
income countries are also high – between 35% and 50%;

Recognizing in addition that a number of mental disorders can be prevented and that mental
health can be promoted in the health sector and in sectors outside health;

Concerned that persons with mental disorders are often stigmatized, and underlining the need
for health authorities to work with relevant groups to change attitudes to mental disorders;

Noting also that there is increasing evidence on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of
interventions to promote mental health and prevent mental disorders, particularly in children and
adolescents;

Noting further that mental disorders are often associated with noncommunicable diseases and a
range of other priority health issues, including HIV/AIDS, maternal and child health, and violence and
injuries, and that mental disorders often coexist with other medical and social factors, such as poverty,
substance abuse and the harmful use of alcohol, and, in the case of women and children, greater
exposure to domestic violence and abuse;

Recognizing that certain populations live in a situation that makes them particularly vulnerable
to developing mental disorders, and the consequences thereof;

Recognizing also that the social and economic impact of mental disorders, including mental
disabilities, is diverse and far-reaching;

Taking into account the work already carried out by WHO on mental health, particularly
through its Mental Health Gap Action Programme,

1. URGES Member States:

(1) according to national priorities and within their specific contexts, to develop and
strengthen comprehensive policies and strategies that address the promotion of mental health,
prevention of mental disorders, and early identification, care, support, treatment and recovery of
persons with mental disorders;

(2) to include in policy and strategy development the need to promote human rights, tackle
stigma, empower service users, families and communities, address poverty and homelessness,
tackle major modifiable risks, and as appropriate, promote public awareness, create

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opportunities for generating income, provide housing and education, provide health-care
services and community-based interventions, including de-institutionalized care;

(3) to develop, as appropriate, surveillance frameworks that include risk factors as well as
social determinants of health to analyse and evaluate trends regarding mental disorders;

(4) to give appropriate priority to and to streamline mental health, including the promotion of
mental health, the prevention of mental disorders, and the provision of care, support and
treatment in programmes addressing health and development, and to allocate appropriate
resources in this regard;

(5) to collaborate with the Secretariat in the development of a comprehensive mental health
action plan;

2. REQUESTS the Director-General:

(1) to strengthen advocacy, and develop a comprehensive mental health action plan with
measurable outcomes, based on an assessment of vulnerabilities and risks, in consultation with
and for consideration by Member States, covering services, policies, legislation, plans, strategies
and programmes to provide treatment, facilitate recovery and prevent mental disorders, promote
mental health and empower persons with mental disorders to live a full and productive life in
the community;

(2) to include, in the comprehensive mental health action plan, provisions to address:

(a) assessment of vulnerabilities and risks as a basis for developing the mental health
action plan;

(b) protection, promotion and respect for the rights of persons with mental disorders
including the need to avoid stigmatization of persons with mental disorders;

(c) equitable access to affordable, quality and comprehensive health services that
integrate mental health into all levels of the health-care system;

(d) development of competent, sensitive, adequate human resources to provide mental

(e) promotion of equitable access to quality health care including psychosocial

(f) enhancement of initiatives, including in policy, to promote mental health and

(g) access to educational and social services, including health care, schooling, housing,
secure employment and participation in income-generation programmes;

(h) involvement of civil society organizations, persons with mental disorders, families
and caregivers in voicing their opinions and contributing to decision-making processes;

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(i) design and provision of mental health and psychosocial support systems that will
enable community resilience and will help people to cope during humanitarian
emergencies;

(j) participation of people with mental disorders in family and community life and
civic affairs;

(k) design of mechanisms to involve the education, employment and other relevant
sectors in Member States in the implementation of the mental health action plan;

(l) building upon the work already done and avoidance of duplication of action;

(3) to collaborate with Member States and, as appropriate, with international, regional and
national nongovernmental organizations, international development partners and technical
agency partners in the development of the mental health action plan;

(4) to work with Member States and technical agencies to promote academic exchange,
through which to contribute to policy-making in mental health;

(5) to submit the comprehensive mental health action plan, through the Executive Board at its
132nd session, for consideration by the Sixty-sixth World Health Assembly.

Ninth plenary meeting, 25 May 2012

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