Mental health issues affect billions of people across every corner of the globe, touching every community and every family, and mounting evidence shows the issue is worsening.
To combat the issue, we need to urgently grow our investment in programs that expand access to care, mental health advocates said at a TIME lunch on Wednesday in Davos, Switzerland. “Invest in the system, invest in our rights,” said Elisha London, founder and CEO of United for Global Mental Health. She called for $1 billion in spending on mental health programs worldwide: “It has to happen now.”
The event, held on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, featured a discussion with Indian actress Deepika Padukone, a tribute to Bernard J. Tyson (the late former Chairman and CEO of Kaiser Permanente), and a panel of mental health advocates in discussion with TIME Executive Editor Susanna Schrobsdorff.
The call for investment received attention for a very good reason: current mental health ..