Suicide: WHO urges Western Pacific govt to increase funding for mental health

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday urged governments in the Western Pacific to increase funding for mental health services in a bid to prevent 500 suicides a day in the region.

WHO in marking World Health Day encouraged the public to talk about depression, which affects more than 66 million people in the region, in a bid to end the stigma associated with mental health problems.

“People with mental illness should not suffer in silence, lives are at stake.

“Left untreated, depression can lead to suicide.

“It is a tragedy that over 500 people takes their lives each day in this region, many of them are young people,’’ WHO’s Regional Director for Western Pacific, Shing Young-soo said.

The WHO noted that globally, less than two dollars per person is spent on mental health services each year.

In low- and middle-income countries, the budget is lower at less than 0.25 dollars per person annually.

“Mental health services are non-existent in some places, in spite of the fact that depression is very common.

“It can affect anyone, of any age, in any country,” the organisation said.

WHO said that every dollar invested in scaling-up mental health services not only saves lives but also leads to a four-dollar return to the economy in better health and productivity.

Thirty-seven states are represented in the WHO’s Western Pacific region, including China, Japan, Australia and the Philippines.