Editorial

The mental health around the world is often neglected, especially in underdeveloped and developing countries, although it is a fundamental component of general health. Research has shown that one in four people in the world will be affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point in their lives. Around 450 million people currently suffer from such conditions, placing mental disorders among the leading causes of ill-health and disability worldwide. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted or halted critical mental health services in 93% of countries worldwide while the demand for mental health is increasing, according to a new WHO survey. Treatments are available, but nearly two-thirds of people with a known mental disorder never seek help from a health professional. Global insecurity that prevails in the world, unstable system of values on which the human community is based, war and war trauma, poverty and unemployment of parents, domestic violence, peer violence, natural disasters, migration, easy availability of psychoactive substances and other adverse environmental factors along the absence of timely detection of early symptoms of the disease, influenced the evident tendency of increased number of persons who have mental disorders and behavioral disorders. The need for psychotherapy approach is increasing particularly in these pandemic enviroments with the increasing demand for mental health services. Bereavement, isolation, loss of income and fear are triggering mental health conditions or exacerbating existing ones. [Excerpt]

Journal

English

Mevludin Hasanović

Hasanović, M. (2021, February). Editorial. Psychiatria Danubina, 33(Supplement 1), 3