More than 92 percent of people suffering from mental health conditions in Bangladesh do not receive any treatment, Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain said today.

Responding to a question from Abul Kalam during the question-and-answer session at the Jatiya Sangsad, the minister said mental illness is rapidly increasing worldwide and has become one of the leading causes of disability.

Citing the National Mental Health Survey (2018-19), he said around 16.8 percent of adults and 12.6 percent of children and adolescents in Bangladesh suffer from some form of mental disorder. However, more than 92 percent of them do not seek any kind of treatment.

Highlighting the shortage of mental health services in relation to the country's population, the minister said Bangladesh has only 1.17 mental health professionals per 100,000 people, while the number of registered psychiatrists in the public sector is around 350.

Replying to a separate question from Mizanur Rahman, Sakhawat said the government is giving the highest priority to the mental health of young people, particularly in preventing stress, depression and suicide.

According to data from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics and the World Health Organization, an estimated 1,000 to 1,400 people die by suicide in Bangladesh each year, a significant proportion of whom are young people and adolescents.