The added stress of a global economic downturn could lead to a rise in mental health problems, the World Health Organization said Friday.

As some Americans struggle to cope with having their houses repossessed, the market meltdown could deepen despair, the United Nations agency said.

'There is a clear evidence that suicide is linked to financial disasters.'— Benedetto Saraceno

"We should not be surprised or underestimate the turbulence and likely consequences of the current financial crisis," WHO director general Margaret Chan told a meeting of mental health experts in Geneva.

"As it is, we are seeing a huge gap in taking care of people in great need."

People living in low- and middle-income countries where many people with mental disorders receive no treatment or care are at particular risk, the agency said in marking World Mental Health Day.

Mental, neurological and substance abuse disorders

Governments worldwide need to make mental health a vital part of primary health care to get mental health services to the tens of millions in need, the agency urged.

"It should not come as a surprise that we continue to see more stresses, suicides and mental disorders," Chan warned.

"There is a clear evidence that suicide is linked to financial disasters," agreed Benedetto Saraceno, director of WHO's mental health and substance abuse department, noting suicide is a condition that is preventable.

"I am not talking about the millionaire jumping out of the window but about poor people."

The WHO's mental health Gap Action Programme aims to increase care such as psychosocial assistance and medications for mental, neurological and substance abuse disorders.

In the majority of countries, less than two per cent of health funds are spent on mental health, the agency said.

Mental health disorders such as depression affect one in four people at some point in their life, Saraceno said in a release.

People with mental health disorders are stigmatized, neglected and abused, but their human rights should be protected and they should not be denied opportunities to contribute to social and economic life, he added.

With files from Reuters