Decentralization of Mental Health Services in Qatar: A Promising Model for Enhancing Access and Optimizing Care

Abstract

In 2001, the World Health Organization (WHO) called for coordinated global efforts in reframing mental health agenda and broadening the conceptualization of mental disorders. A wider scope and better quality of service were required to encompass the undeniable burden of disease ascribed to mental illness and its projected rise by 2020 . However, the proportion of global budget and international resources dedicated to mental health services remained disappointingly exiguous. Despite the availability of practical and stringent strategies for the management of mental health care needs, real-life implementation has not been in keep with the rising demand. This widened the treatment gap, culminating in deficient provision of care that is most pronounced in low and middle-income countries. By 2016, more than one billion individuals worldwide suffered from mental and addictive disorders, amounting to 7% of global burden of disease and 19% of years lived with disability. This was postulated to be in part due to stigma and lack of timely treatment. In 2015, mental health received the long-awaited recognition as an integral component of global sustainable development goals.