Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), said that the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic has affected the mental health of millions of people.

He said that the lack of social interaction has been impacting the lives of people around the globe.

Addressing a virtual press briefing, Tedros said, ‘For many people, the lack of social interaction caused by the pandemic has had a profound effect on their mental health.’

World Mental Health Day is an opportunity for the world to come together and begin redressing the historic neglect of #MentalHealth. We are already seeing the consequences of the #COVID19 pandemic on people’s mental well-being, and this is just the beginning pic.twitter.com/ThKeUUqsqu

— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) August 27, 2020

He said that mental health professionals have themselves been infected with the virus, and some mental health facilities have been closed to be converted into treatment facilities to treat people with COVID-19.

Recalling the fact that mental health was already ‘a neglected health issue’ globally, before the coronavirus outbreak, with close to one billion people living with a mental disorder and yet relatively few people have access to quality mental health services.

‘In low- and middle-income countries, more than 75 per cent of people with mental, neurological and substance use disorders receive no treatment for their condition at all,’ Tedros added.

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