Investments in Mental Health for Far-Reaching Benefits
Mental health problems are a major contributor to the disease burden across the world and in Ghana. They have a significant impact on individuals through increased disability and mortality, but they also generate substantial costs for Ghana and elsewhere in the form of lost productivity.
The costs of poor mental health have been conservatively estimated to account for between 3% and 4% of GDP in developing countries. Globally, the World Economic Forum and the Harvard School of Public Health have estimated the cost of mental illness at US$2.5 trillion every year, with a projected increase to US$6 trillion by 2030.