Authors: World Health Organization
Mental Health Atlas series is considered the most comprehensive resource on global information on mental health and an important tool for developing and planning mental health services within countries and regions. The Mental Health Atlas 2017 acquires new importance as it is providing information and data on the progress towards the achievement of objectives and targets of the Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013–2020.
WHO's Mental Health Atlas 2017 reveals that although some countries have made progress in mental health policy-making and planning, there is a global shortage of health workers trained in mental health and a lack of investment in community-based mental health facilities.
“This latest edition of the Mental Health Atlas provides us with yet more evidence that scale-up of resources for mental health is not happening quickly enough. We know what works. Failure to invest in mental health as a matter of urgency will have health, social and economic costs on a scale that we have rarely seen before,” said Dr Shekhar Saxena, Director of WHO’s Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse.
The Atlas provides information on the existence of policies, plans and laws for mental health, and their alignment with established human rights instruments; the human and financial resources available; the type of facilities providing care; and mental health programmes for prevention and promotion.
