People are continuously working to improve their physical fitness, and in the course of living, they neglect their mental health. In addition, it has been scientifically and psychologically shown that a healthy body as well as a healthy mind are essential for the well-being of human life. Good mental health is a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her abilities to easily cope with the normal stress and anxiety of a life and works productively. However, everyone experiences mental health challenges from time to time, these challenges can become severe and can interfere with day-to-day life and can affect relationships.
Mental Health Resources
Mental health is as vital as physical health, but it is frequently neglected in many parts of the world. Even if people are aware of mental health issues, there is a lack of mental health resources and practitioners. Lack of access to mental health services has devastated the consequences, condition of mental disability, mental disorders like depression and anxiety disorder often lead one to die by suicide, and these cases are increasing on a daily basis. This condition is almost similar in every part of the world.
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Mental Health Awareness in Diverse Societies
There is an urgent need for mental health awareness in low- and middle-income nations such as Bangladesh and Kenya, among others, where mental health services are limited and stigma associated with mental health is prevalent. Even in our own nation, India, we can observe a diverse population with varied economic backgrounds, and there has been a stigma related to mental health in certain parts of the country. As individuals throughout the world are dealing with numerous problems impacting mental health, the demand for qualified mental health practitioners rises. Mental health professionals are healthcare practitioners and are trained to prevent, diagnose, and treat mental health illnesses. This article will tell you why there is a high need for mental health professionals on a global scale.
The Global health crises
The worldwide challenge of mental issues is called mental health crises; it has been reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) that nearly one billion people around the world are suffering from mental disorders. In addition, depression is one of the most common conditions and a main cause of disability, and it frequently leads to suicide. Suicide is the biggest cause of death among those aged 15 to 29, and it is caused by depression. People who have serious mental health problems die early.
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Mental disorders are responsible for 13% of deaths all over the world. The condition is worse in low- middle-income countries, 75 % of people with mental-related disorders are not receiving any kind of treatment. It is an urgent concern since not everyone has easy access to the care they require, and there are still numerous misunderstandings and stigmas associated with mental health. In order to address the issues, we must figure out how to better support individuals and ensure that every needy receives the support that they require. And for that mental health practitioners are required on a global scale.
Barriers to mental health care
This can be difficult to access mental health treatment because of barriers that prevent people from receiving the necessary and appropriate help. These barriers contribute to a gap in mental health services. Some common barriers to mental health include-
- Structural Barrier: This barrier is related to the way healthcare support is organized and delivered. This includes a lack of mental health professionals, geographical barriers, and cultural barriers. There is a global lack of mental health practitioners, particularly in low- middle incomed nations, and due to this, there has been difficulty in providing support to people from especially rural and underserved areas. Because of viability, some patients are unable to receive treatment. These services are placed far from where people live, which makes it difficult for them to access treatment or care. Sometimes cultural and linguistic barriers are there which makes it difficult for professionals to know the concern of the patients.
- Personal Barrier: Mental illness is usually stigmatized, which hinder the person from sharing their mental-related problems with other and this leads them suffer to deal with social isolation. This prevents them from seeking help from others for fear of being judged. And even many of people are not aware of the signs and symptoms of mental illness or may not know where to get help. People often deny the fact that they are ill even if they experience any type of symptoms.
- Financial Barrier: The cost of getting mental health services, counseling, and therapy can be expensive. This can be difficult for people who have a limited income to access the treatment.
Lack of mental health professionals: A major concern
The demand of mental health services is growing high, but there is short of qualified and trained professionals in this field to work on and to help with the mental health issues. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) the median of mental health worker is 9 per 1,00,000 population and one can see that there is a large variation in mental health workers in high, income countries and low to middle income countries. There is also a shortage of training courses for mental health professionals. There is also a stigma associated with mental health, which serves as a barrier to becoming a mental health practitioner. People may believe that is not a good or significant work. As a result of this, individuals are less likely to pursue a job in mental health as a result of this field.
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These all factors can contribute to the shortage of mental health professionals worldwide. As a result, million and billions of people are unable to receive the treatment they need. And this has a devastated impact on the lives of people. To address this problem a multifaced approach is required and governments should invest more money and must introduce courses and training programmes for mental health professionals. They also need to improve salaries and working conditions for mental health professionals, and reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness. These steps can be helpful to reduce the gap between the people and the mental health and to address the shortage of mental health professionals all over the world.
