Mental Health Atlas 2020

This report from the World Health Organization (WHO), updated every three years, provides up-to-date data on mental health services and policies across the world. It includes information about core indicators, mental health policies, legislation, financial and human resources, service availability and uptake, and systems used for data collection. This year's report includes newly-added data about service coverage, the integration of mental health care into primary health care, preparedness for the provision of mental health and psychosocial services during emergencies like the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. It measures progress against targets set for 2020 that are included in WHO's Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan. While there has been steady progress in the adoption of mental health policies and improvements in capacity to report data across several years, the data illustrate a stark contrast in the availability of mental health resources between high- and low-income countries and across regions. Most countries have now established guidelines for integrating mental health into primary health care, but the integration of interventions has been limited. The report suggests that greater global commitment and investment—particularly in the continued monitoring of data to fill gaps in the quality and quantity of available information during COVID-19—are needed at the country level to reach global targets established by the Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2020. This Atlas aims to be a guide for health planners, policy-makers, and governments to develop and plan mental health services.