Community and global mental health

Topic

Mental disorders are common worldwide and most people get no care; community services and trained non-specialists help close that gap.

Updated Nov 13, 2026

Key points

In 2023 about 1.2 billion people, nearly one in seven, lived with a mental disorder; anxiety and depressive disorders are the most common.
Treatment gap: only about 40 % of people with psychosis and one third of people with depression receive formal mental health care.
mhGAP scales up services for mental, neurological and substance use disorders in non-specialised health settings; the second version of its Intervention Guide is from 2016.
The WHO Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013–2030 aims at leadership, community-based care, promotion and prevention, and information and research.
The action plan aims to provide comprehensive, integrated and responsive mental health and social care services in community-based settings.
In Colombia, Law 1616 of 2013 (the mental health law, amended by Law 2460 of 2025 and Law 2564 of 2026) guarantees the right to mental health, prioritising children, adolescents and young people, and builds care on primary health care.

What it is

Community and global mental health look at mental health at the level of populations: how common disorders are, who receives care and how services can reach everyone. Nearly one in seven people in the world lives with a mental disorder, most often anxiety or depression, yet most do not receive formal care. The World Health Organization calls for integrated mental health and social care in community-based settings and, through its Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP), for scaling up services in non-specialised health settings.

Key facts

Many people with mental disorders also experience stigma, discrimination and violations of human rights.
People exposed to poverty, violence, disability and inequality are at higher risk of mental health problems.
Colombia’s National Mental Health Survey 2015 (Ministry of Health, Colciencias and Pontificia Universidad Javeriana) surveyed people aged seven and older in urban and rural areas.
In that survey, the 12-month prevalence of any mental disorder was about 4 % in adults, 4.4 % in adolescents and 4.7 % in children aged 7 to 11.
Colombia’s mental health network (article 13 of Law 1616) includes outpatient care, home care, prehospital care, drug-dependence care centres, community mental health centres, patient and family support groups, day hospitals for adults and for children and adolescents, community-based rehabilitation, mental health units and psychiatric emergency care.

Clinical notes

Effective treatments exist: for schizophrenia, medicines, psychoeducation, family interventions and psychosocial rehabilitation; for bipolar disorder, psychoeducation, strengthening of social functioning and medicines.
The treatment gap is wide even for severe disorders: only about 40 % of people with psychosis receive formal mental health care.

Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

What is the treatment gap in mental health?

The difference between the people who need mental health care and those who receive it; for example, only one third of people with depression receive formal mental health care.

What does WHO’s mhGAP programme do?

It uses evidence-based guidance and training to scale up services for mental, neurological and substance use disorders in non-specialised health settings, especially where resources are poor.

What are the most common mental disorders worldwide?

Anxiety disorders and depressive disorders.

What 12-month prevalence of any mental disorder did Colombia’s 2015 National Mental Health Survey find?

About 4 % in adults, 4.4 % in adolescents and 4.7 % in children aged 7 to 11.

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Educational content on behavior and the clinical relationship; not a diagnostic or treatment guide and no substitute for assessment by a health professional. If you or someone near you is at risk, seek help now from an emergency service or a mental-health helpline.

Sources: Mental disorders (World Health Organization, 2026); Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) (World Health Organization, 2019); Encuesta Nacional de Salud Mental 2015 (Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social (Colombia), 2015); Compilación Jurídica del MINTIC - Ley 1616 de 2013 (Ministerio de Tecnologías de la Información y las Comunicaciones (Colombia), 2026).

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