Mental-health conditions affect a significant part of the population, yet access to appropriate care remains limited.

Approximately 1 in 4 people will experience a mental-health condition during their lifetime.

Among people with serious mental disorders, the treatment gap is particularly large.

According to the World Health Organization:

Source: World Health Organization, Scaling up mental health care ↗

These are people who may already be facing some of the most difficult and challenging circumstances in their lives.

The reasons are complex, but major barriers include:

• A shortage of mental-health professionals
• High treatment costs
• Stigma surrounding mental health
• Uncertainty about which treatment is appropriate
• The belief that treatment will not help

The result is a large gap between the people who need mental-health support and the people who are actually able to receive it.