The concept of mental health, given its vague and broad meaning, can benefit from a historical perspective to be better understood. The mental health term can trace back its development to advances in public health, in clinical psychiatry and in other branches of knowledge. In 1946, the International Health Conference, held in New York, decided to establish the World Health Organization (WHO) and a Mental Health Association was founded in London. These paved the road to institutionalizing the mental health industry.
An integral part in general health, and a basic human right, mental health is a main indicator of well-being and the ability to connect, function, cope and thrive. Mental health is not black or white in nature, but rather lies on a complex continuum, with experiences ranging from an optimal state of well-being to debilitating states of great suffering and emotional pain.
In all countries, mental health conditions are highly prevalent. According to the latest report by the World Health Organization, about one in eight people in the world live with a mental disorder. The prevalence of different mental disorders varies with sex and age. In both males and females, anxiety disorders and depressive disorders are the most common.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had many effects on the world. It has created a global crisis for mental health. As stated by the WHO “There has been a rise in both anxiety and depressive disorders at more than 25% during the first year of the pandemic. Mental disorders are the leading cause of years lived with disability and suicide remains a major cause of death globally.”
The main concern circulating around mental health issues is its costly treatment and the industry being underserved. “Mental health systems all over the world are marked by major gaps and imbalances in information and research, governance, resources and services.”
Before the pandemic, an estimated 193 million people (2 471 cases per 100 000 population) had major depressive disorder; and 298 million people (3 825 cases per 100 000 population) had anxiety disorders in 2020. After adjusting for the COVID-19 pandemic, initial estimates show a jump to 246 million (3 153 cases per 100 000 population) for major depressive disorder and 374 million (4 802 per 100 000 population) for anxiety disorders. This represents an increase of 28% and 26% for major depressive disorders and anxiety disorders, respectively in just one year.
Mental health systems all over the world are marked by major gaps in governance, resources, services, information, and technologies for mental health. Due to this, a transformation ought to be done in terms of advancing public and mental health, protecting human rights to receiving adequate and affordable mental health services, and supporting the development, planning, and research within this industry. This transformation and investment in advancing mental health worldwide will also improve educational outcomes, participation in the economy and workforce, and strengthen the social functioning of communities worldwide.
Just like the case with many industries, market research serves as a predictor and driving force in the mental health industry, analyzing latest trends, and verifying market needs.
A wide spectrum of different market research projects has been made in the mental health segment, to better understand the different conditions from both patients and medical perspective, to assess communication strategies and products’ development and to overall gather detailed and deep insights on the quality of life with each condition.
At XYZ Field, over the years we have become specialists on mental health conditions; it is one of the central themes among those that we monitor and investigate throughout the years from both qualitative and quantitative perspectives. Being able to engage respondents both online and face to face, our researchers and moderators have a background in behavioral psychology. They are able to suggest the best approach and guarantee the safest and calmest environment at each occasion and project, putting the wellbeing of patients and participants overall, at the heart of our research projects.
From depression to personality disorders to other mental health conditions, the projects that make their way into XYZ Field, enrich our expertise on the subject, its prevalence and future perspective, allowing our recruiters, researchers, moderators, and translators, to increase their knowledge and became experts within the specific conditions.
