Leveraging Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic to Address the Region’s Mental Health Challenges for the Future
Mental health conditions represent a significant cause of morbidity and premature mortality in the Americas. Depressive disorders and anxiety disorders are the 2nd and 4th leading causes of years lived with disability respectively, and suicide mortality, which rose 17% between 2000 and 2019 in the Region, claims nearly 100,000 lives annually. However, the vast majority of people with mental health conditions will not receive treatment; the Region’s mental health treatment gap reaches as high as 90% for some conditions, with marginalized populations and people living in conditions of vulnerability experiencing significant barriers to care. Unaddressed poor mental health compromises the overall health and well-being of individuals and is linked to broader health and social consequences for communities and society.
The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to elevated rates of depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions and to major disruptions to essential mental health services. Extremely high rates of violence in the Region, which has the highest homicide rate in the world, as well as increasing migration, driven by factors including social and political conflict, violence, food insecurity, natural disasters, environmental degradation, and economic hardship, also continue to impact the mental health of populations. Additionally, climate change, which contributes directly to extreme weather events of increasing frequency and intensity, as well as to indirect consequences such as increases in vector-borne and cardiorespiratory diseases, food and water insecurity, and forced displacements, is a substantial and growing threat to mental health in the Region. Looking ahead it is likely that these factors will have long-lasting adverse effects on some people’s mental health and well-being, which could increase demand for mental health services.
The current pandemic has raised the visibility of mental health, and this presents an important opportunity to advocate for mental health reforms as Member States build back better, more equitable, and more resilient mental health systems. Countries across the Region have found ways to implement innovative approaches to respond to mental health needs during the pandemic. As we implement the WHO Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan (2013-2030) and discuss the PAHO Policy for Improving Mental Health at the 30th Pan American Sanitary Conference, the time is now that the experiences and lessons learned from COVID-19 pandemic be applied to deepen the value and commitment given to mental health, reshape the environments that influence mental health, and strengthen the systems that care for mental health.
This side event will feature presentations and discussion by authorities and stakeholders from PAHO subregions highlighting approaches to transformation and how countries hope to apply the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic to address key mental health challenges in the Region in the face of future crises such as climate change and growing inequities in mental health.
