Who Gets Mental Health Treatment Worldwide?

Summary: Millions of people get mental health treatment worldwide every day. However, data shows more people need treatment than get treatment, with the size of this treatment gap varying by disorder.

Key Points:

• Source data for worldwide treatment rates available here: Effective Treatment for Mental and Substance Use Disorders in 21 Countries
• For comparison, data for treatment rates in the U.S. is publicly available here: Characteristics of Adults Treated at Mental Health Treatment Centers in the US, 2022 and here: 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH 2022)
• Data indicates barriers to effective mental health treatment worldwide include low perceived need for care, low access to care, and willingness to accept minimal treatment

Mental Health Disorder Prevalence: Facts and Figures from 21 Countries

First, we’ll report the prevalence of mental illness worldwide.

Past Year Prevalence of Mental Illness

• Any disorder: 3.8%
• Anxiety disorders: 9.3%
  • Phobias: 5.9%
• Mood disorders: 5.4%
  • Major depressive disorder: 4.3%
• Substance use: 2.3%

Next, we’ll report the prevalence of need for treatment and receipt of effective treatment, by disorder type.

Past Year Prevalence of Treatment Need and Prevalence of Effective Treatment

Total, Needed and Received Treatment: 13.8%

Anxiety disorders:

• GAD:
  • Needed treatment: 58.7%
  • Got treatment: 12%
• Panic:
  • Needed treatment: 60.5%
  • Got treatment: 11.8%
• Specific phobia:
  • Needed treatment: 31.6%
  • Got treatment: 3.5%
• Social phobia:
  • Needed treatment: 49.8%
  • Got treatment: 7.3%
• PTSD:
  • Needed treatment: 55.7%
  • Got treatment: 11.5%

Mood disorders:

• Major depressive disorder:
  • Needed treatment: 54.8%
  • Got treatment: 9.6%
• Bipolar disorder:
  • Needed treatment: 55.74%
  • Got treatment: 3.0%

Alcohol/substance use disorder (AUD/SUD):

• AUD:
  • Needed treatment: 32.7%
  • Got treatment: 1.4%
• SUD:
  • Needed treatment: 45.4%
  • Got treatment: 2.8%

Why Didn’t People Who Need Treatment Get Treatment?

The data show clearly the significant size of the worldwide mental health treatment gap, which is the difference between the number of people who need treatment and the number of people who get the treatment they need.

Overall, the numbers indicate the following gaps in care, i.e. the percentage of people who needed treatment but didn’t get treatment:

• Total: 75.2%
• GAD: 88%
• Panic: 88.2%
• Specific phobia: 96.5%
• Social phobia: 98.7%
• PTSD: 88.5%
• Major depressive disorder: 90.4%
• Bipolar disorder: 97%
• AUD: 98.6%
• SUD: 97.2%

Those gaps are far too large. With effective awareness campaigns, stigma reduction, and increased access, we can reduce barriers to care and close the treatment gap.

According to the study authors, the largest barriers to effective treatment were:

1. Low perceived need: 46.5%
2. Low access to care: 34.1%
3. Accepted minimally adequate treatment: 47%

The study authors indicate a potential roadmap to redress the treatment gap exists in the Sustainable Development Goals published by the United Nations, which includes guidance to:

• Increasing universal health coverage for essential mental health
• Increasing universal health coverage substance use disorder treatments

In addition, the study authors bring attention to current barrier to care and acute priority areas, which include:

• Increasing perceived need
• Training primary care providers to identify and treat mental health disorders
• Improve the continuum of care, overall
• Bridging the gap in between need and availability of effective treatment

These goals are well within reach: when we work together to reduce barriers of care, outcomes improve for everyone: individuals, families, and communities. Effective mental health care helps not only the people who need treatment, but everyone.