Anxiety, Depression Most Common Mental Health Conditions: WHO

Over a billion people are living with mental health disorders, anxiety and depression being the most common conditions, according to new data released by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday.

- Kavita Bajeli-Datt @ New Delhi

It shows that while prevalence of mental health disorders can vary by sex, women are disproportionately impacted overall.

Suicide remains a devastating outcome, claiming an estimated 727,000 lives in 2021 alone, said the new findings published in two reports—World Mental Health Today and Mental Health Atlas 2024.

Highlighting that suicide is the third leading cause of death among people aged 15–29 years worldwide and disproportionately affects marginalized populations, the report said suicide accounts for more than one in every 100 deaths (1.1%) globally.