Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of trends in the level of depression in developing countries.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimate one in four people worldwide will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime. However, there is a dire lack of accurate data on mental health conditions, including depression, in developing countries.

My department is committed to taking a comprehensive and rights-based approach to mental health in our work. DFID’s Disability Inclusion Strategy commits to UK Aid increasing the promotion of well-being, access to integrated, quality mental health services, and facilitation of recovery, empowerment and inclusion for people with mental health conditions and psychosocial disabilities.