Channel more resources towards improving mental wellness of citizens

Mental health is a universal human right, and we should break the stigma around it and provide accessible and affordable mental healthcare for everyone. [iStockphoto]

With external pressures and inherent struggles to make ends meet, the prevailing situation in the country has effectively contributed to the deteriorating mental wellbeing of the majority. Most people agree that mental health plays a pivotal role in determining the country's overall health and socioeconomic burden. Reports indicate that the global economy loses $ 1 trillion each year predominantly from reduced productivity.

However, it should be known that mental health is more than the absence of mental illnesses and conditions; it encompasses emotional wellbeing, cognitive processing, feelings, and rational thought processes that potentiate one to cope with normal stresses of life and productively go about their daily activities. Therefore, any sovereign country that upholds the rule of law, should ensure the happiness index of its citizens increases since it is a recipe and econometric model for productivity and accelerated GDP per capita.