In low- and middle-income countries particularly, the provision of mental health services is inadequate to address the spectrum of mental health issues

A sexual harassment prevention workshop was held by MHI partner Anubhuti Trust.Credit: Anubhuti Trust

Globally over a billion people are living with a mental disorder and 80 per cent of those live in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Other articles in this special feature have noted the treatment gap – the difference between the number of people who need mental health care and those who get treatment – but while the statistic of between 75 and 95 per cent of people in LMICs who are unable to access treatment highlights the magnitude of the problem, it unfortunately frames a limiting narrative and reductionist approach to mental health and related philanthropy.

Fragmented services