The World Health Organization says that 1 in 8 people worldwide suffer from a mental health disorder; Lancet’s 2026 Global Burden of Disease Study agrees, arguing that the affected population approaches 1.2 billion. And data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at Washington University in the United States show a 95% increase in mental health cases between 1990 and 2023. The impact is even more profound among youth: roughly 293 million children and young adults under 25 live with a mental health condition.

Those are huge numbers—and they raise a lot of questions. What is it about modern society that is so much more stressful than the past? Does the incidence of mental health disorders differ in the Global North versus the Global South? What was the impact of COVID? Is social media a driver; how and why?

Most importantly, what can be done?

If anyone might have answers, it is Vikram Patel, professor and chair of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School and a co-founder of Sangath in India. Listen as he unpacks the causes of the global mental health crisis and offers some ideas on solutions. Then tell us what you think should be done.

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You can also find New Thinking for a New World on your preferred platform, including Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. 

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ABOUT OUR GUEST

Vikram Patel is the Paul Farmer Professor and Chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and holds honorary Professorships at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and the Public Health Foundation of India. He co-leads the Mental Health for All lab and GlobalMentalHealth@Harvard initiative, and his research focuses on the global burden of mental health problems, their links to social disadvantage, and community-based solutions. He co-founded Sangath, an Indian NGO recognized with international awards, and several global mental health networks. A Fellow of the UK Academy of Medical Sciences and member of the US National Academy of Medicine, Patel has served on India’s first National Mental Health Policy committee, co-led two Lancet Commissions on mental health, and received major honors including the Rhodes Scholarship, Sarnat Prize, Pardes Humanitarian Prize, an Honorary OBE, and the Canada Gairdner Award. He holds multiple Honorary Doctorates and was named to TIME Magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in 2015.