Published today - Lancet - WPA Commission: Time for united action on depression!

"Overlooked and underfunded"—experts call for united action

to reduce the global burden of depression

We are delighted to announce the publication of the Lancet - World Psychiatric Association (WPA) Commission: Time for united action on depression today!

Commission's key findings:

• An estimated 5% of adults worldwide suffer from depression each year, yet it remains a neglected global health crisis, that has its most frequent onset in young people.

• Poor understanding of this condition and lack of psychosocial and financial resources impact on prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and the economic prosperity of nations.

• The Lancet-World Psychiatric Association Commission outlines ambitious recommendations to tackle inequities and widespread neglect in diagnosis, treatment, and prevention, including prioritising an innovative staged approach to care and early intervention, and delivering collaborative care in resource-limited and other settings

• The experts call for a whole-of-society approach to preventing depression to achieve benefits similar to those in other fields such as heart disease and cancer, ensuring a holistic pursuit of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

According to this Commission on depression, the world is failing to tackle the persisting and increasingly serious global crisis of depression it is facing and calls for a whole-of-society response tor educing the global burden of depression.