Silent Mental Health Crisis

The world is currently facing a "silent" health crisis, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has brought mental health and healthcare system challenges into sharp focus. This crisis is characterized by the "panic-neglect" cycle, where concern and preparedness peak during crises but fade away afterward, leading to complacency. Additional stressors include climate change, biodiversity loss,vaccine hesitancy, misinformation, declining trust in experts, political polarization, and the rise ofantimicrobial resistance. Furthermore, the healthcare sector is experiencing a severe workforce shortage, with a predicted global deficit of10 million health workersby 2030. The mental health crisis is also escalating, evidenced by the increasing use ofmental health servicesand high suicide rates among certain age groups in the U.S. Despite these growing challenges, public concern for health-related risks has diminished, overshadowed by other global crises andpandemic fatigue.