Investing in mental health would spare humanity a heavy toll both socially and economically. Nevertheless, an enormous gap still exists between the need for treatment of mental disorders and the resources at hand. In developed countries, 44% to 70% of persons with mental disorders do not receive treatment. In developing countries the situation is even worse with the treatment gap close to 90%.

In most cases mental health services continue to be under-funded. Even when they receive reasonable funding, inappropriate expenditure is the usual practice, such as the conventional favouritism of large mental hospitals over community-based mental health services, integration into primary health care and the establishment of mental health wards within general hospitals.