WHO warns on global rise of mental illnesses

Mental and neurological disorders ranging from depression to Alzheimer's and

Mental and neurological disorders ranging from depression to Alzheimer's and

epilepsy strike are set to surge in the next two decades, the World Health Organisation (WHO) claimed today.

These illnesses currently affect up to 400 million people globally.

The agency predicted that by 2020, depression would jump to be the second greatest cause of death and disability worldwide, following heart disease.

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The rise was blamed on factors including more stressful lifestyles, poverty and violence. Alzheimer's disease, a debilitating dementia which hits the elderly, is expected to increase as people live longer.

They spoke at a news briefing to launch WHO's 2001 campaign aimed at removing myths and stigmas linked to such disorders, whose slogan is Stop exclusion - Dare to care.

At present, depression is the fifth leading cause of death and disability, while ischemic heart disease trails in sixth place. Depression, often genetic, hits roughly twice as many women as men, according to WHO experts.

The Americas and Western Pacific regions, primarily the United States and Japan, have the most victims of depression, with the lowest rates in Africa.

Globally, there are one million suicides a year out of a total of 10 million attempts, he added. The top 10 countries for suicide are composed of all former Soviet Union states, led by Russia, where many are reeling in economic and social upheaval.

Schizophrenia, a chronic disorder, affects 45 million people worldwide, with about half of the victims achieving full social recovery.

Reuters