He further recalled that mental health was already "a neglected health issue" before the pandemic hit, with close to one billion people living with a mental disorder.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the mental health of millions of people.
He said that 'lack of social interaction0' had a profound impact on many during the pandemic.
"For many people, the lack of social interaction caused by the pandemic has had a profound effect on their mental health," Tedros said at a virtual press briefing from Geneva on Thursday.
He further recalled that mental health was already "a neglected health issue" before the pandemic hit, with close to one billion people living with a mental disorder.
"In low- and middle-income countries, more than 75 percent of people with mental, neurological and substance use disorders receive no treatment for their condition at all," Tedros noted.
On October 10, World Mental Health Day, he said that WHO is going to partner with United for Global Mental Health and the World Federation for Mental Health and call for a massive increase in investments in mental health.
He also noted that mental health professionals have themselves been infected with the virus, and some mental health facilities have been closed to be converted into treatment facilities for people with Covid-19.
The WHO chief said that people in long-term facilities such as care homes and psychiatric institutions are at an increased risk of infection, Xinhua news agency reported.
Earlier in July, Tedros had said that the COVID-19 crisis is "getting worse", adding that in "most of the world" the virus is not under control.
"In most of the world, the virus is not under control. It is getting worse," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
"The virus has upended health systems in some of the world`s wealthiest nations, while some countries that have mounted a successful response have been of modest means," he added.
Globally, coronavirus has affected more than 24.3 Million people, with 8,28,000 deaths.
(With IANS inputs)
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 "WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus")
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