Mental Health Project
Special Initiative for Mental Health
Ensuring access to quality and affordable mental health care for 100 million more people by 2028
What is the Special Initiative for Mental Health?
Launched in 2019, this initiative brings mental health support closer to communities in participating countries by integrating services into local health centers through WHO’s Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP). The initiative trains healthcare workers to identify mental health conditions, provide basic care and support, and refer individuals to specialists when more advanced care is needed.
This initiative also involves close collaboration with Ministry of Health teams at both district and national levels to drive broader, long-term changes. This includes adopting new mental health laws, adding mental health services to public health coverage, and increasing national budget allocations for mental health.
Download our SIMH report to learn more
The Challenge
Mental health conditions account for 10% of the global disease burden, yet less than 2.1% of health budgets are spent on them.
Nearly 1 billion people live with a mental disorder, but in low- and middle-income countries up to 98% receive no treatment.
Around 700,000 people die by suicide each year, and the global economic cost is estimated at US $16 trillion.
The Power of Partnership
In 2024, the WHO Foundation and Maybelline New York joined forces to expand global access to mental health support. Through a $1.8 million commitment, the partnership supports the WHO Special Initiative for Mental Health (SIMH), which collaborates with ten countries to integrate mental health into primary and secondary care. By the end of 2024, SIMH had reached 72.3 million people, with a goal of 100 million more by 2028, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
The partnership also supports the Portrait Series, sharing powerful stories of hope and recovery. The series showcases SIMH beneficiaries through powerful imagery and personal stories of hope, courage, and recovery, aiming to break the stigma and inspire understanding.
The partnership also builds on Maybelline’s Brave Together program, launched in 2020 to provide support for those experiencing anxiety and depression. Active in more than 35 countries with NGO partners, Brave Together focuses on destigmatizing mental health and connecting people to free, accessible resources and one-to-one support.
Together, the WHO Foundation and Maybelline are strengthening mental health systems, raising awareness, and mobilizing action worldwide.
The Results
WHO’s role in mental health
Shaper
The World Health Organization (WHO) shapes the health research agenda and convenes scientists and experts from all over the world, using its monitoring and assessment of global health data and trends.
Regulator
WHO sets norms and standards to ensure access to safe solutions to mental health, respectful of citizens’ rights and privacy.
Convener
WHO has the power to convene governments, leading NGOs, philanthropists, and private sector executives to discuss and adopt evidence-based policy options that improve health systems.
Learn more about WHO’s work here.
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