Mental health around the world:

Making mental health information available and acting on it is one of the most important applications of technology and data.

Across the globe, communities, organizations, military members, families, university campuses, and other societal factions face a universal dilemma. We are facing a global mental health crisis, and it’s costing us dearly.

By 2030, the global cost of this crisis is expected to reach USD 16 trillion. Healthcare and other therapies will result in many direct costs, but most indirect costs.

Lost productivity and spending on various intervention programs for law enforcement, social services, and education can be used to calculate the indirect costs. The prevalence of mental illnesses is inexplicably high, as are the underreporting rates.

True costs, however, can’t be quantified in monetary terms. Globally, experts in psychiatry, public health, and neuroscience, as well as mental health patients and advocacy groups, have warned that the crisis could have lasting consequences.

The Lancet advocated a human rights-based approach to ensure that people with mental health conditions can access employment, education, and other core life experiences.

Because of shame or stigma, it continues to take a back seat to promote physical wellness to deal with mental health problems. It is possible to research physical symptoms such as a rash, fever, or joint pain using a number of websites and apps.

Identifying or understanding mental health symptoms or conditions is challenging, even (or perhaps especially) with internet access.

Hope from technology:

In time, we can expect technological applications geared toward mental health challenges to become more sophisticated and scrutinized. Currently, people downloading an app aren’t always sure what they’re getting, including whose “expertise” provided the content.

Access to healthcare is one of the most impactful issues that technology and data can address. The lack of access to tools can have far-reaching, negative consequences on patients, their families, and the communities in which they live, work and play.

Additionally, technology can prompt patients to take healthy corrective actions based on their moods and conditions. As of now, smartphones, smartwatches, smart cars, and smart homes all use this technology.

Scope of the challenge:

Today, almost every country strives to improve awareness and provide support to those who are struggling with mental health issues. More than 10 percent of the world’s population suffers from mental or substance use disorders.

In addition, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 322 million people, or 4.4% of the global population, suffered from depression in 2015. 3.6 percent of the global population suffers from anxiety disorders, including some people who also experience depression. When resources are limited or hard-to-access, marginalized populations face a greater challenge in treating pervasive mental illness.

Democratizing mental health care could have global benefits. The “right” address and disposable income would not restrict access to treatment or education. Any smartphone user could get critical information to help themselves, a family member, an employee, or anyone else.

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