[Editorial] Mental health: a public health crisis unfolding

More than 1 billion people worldwide live with a mental health condition. One in seven young people. Despite these alarming numbers, the public health response is woefully inadequate. In the words of Dr Tedros, WHO Director General, “Mental health remains one of the most neglected areas of public health and health services delivery”. Indeed, the WHO report World Mental Health Today, published in September, paints a sobering picture with rising incidence rates, persistent service gaps, and a glaring neglect of youth-specific mental health needs.