Mental Health in Developing Nations

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2004-6-13

This is Robert Cohen with the VOA Special English Development
Report.

A study has found that most people with severe mental health
problems go untreated in developing countries. The World Health
Organization says between seventy-five and eighty-five percent had
no treatment within the past year. In developed nations, between
thirty-five and fifty percent went untreated.

The Journal of the American Medical Association published the
findings. Ronald Kessler of Harvard University and Bedirhan Ustun of
the W.H.O. led the study. They examined the results of questions
asked of more than sixty-thousand adults in fourteen countries.

The most developed nations were Belgium, France, Germany, Italy,
Japan, the Netherlands, Spain and the United States. The less
developed ones were Columbia, China, Lebanon, Mexico, Nigeria and
Ukraine. Researchers gathered the information between
two-thousand-one and two-thousand-three. They asked the same
questions in every interview. They wanted to estimate how many
people have mental disorders, and what kind. They also wanted to
learn what treatment, if any, the people had received within the
past year.

The problems considered included nervous anxiety and uncontrolled
anger. Others were such things as eating disorders and disorders
related to the use of alcohol and illegal drugs.

The percentage of people who said they had a mental disorder
differed greatly from country to country. The researchers found that
for most countries the rate was between nine and twenty percent. The
United States had the highest, at twenty-six percent of those
questioned. The Chinese city of Shanghai had the lowest, at four
percent.

The researchers say they believe this difference shows how mental
health is seen differently around the world. They say people in many
non-Western countries are often less likely to admit they have
problems.

In almost every country, the more severe a problem was, the more
likely it was to be treated. Still, the researchers say many people
with minor mental health problems are treated, while many with
serious disorders are not. They say this is not simply a problem of
limited treatment resources. It also shows that resources are not
being used well.

The researchers call for new efforts at early intervention. They
say early treatment of minor disorders could prevent many serious
cases later. This VOA Special English Development Report was written
by Jill Moss.

This is Robert Cohen.