A new report by the World Health Organization calls proper treatment of those suffering from mental illnesses extremely inadequate in some parts of the world.

The report issued Monday, World Mental Health Day, says one in four people around the globe need mental health care at some point in their lives. But it says as many as 85 percent of those needing help never get it.

It says many people with such illnesses as depression, schizophrenia, epilepsy and dementia fear discrimination and do not seek treatment.

The WHO tells VOA that some African countries have just one psychiatrist for a population of 9 million, and that Asian nations with 29 million people have only two such doctors.

The WHO is urging governments to increase services for people suffering from mental disorders, and to channel more funding from psychiatric hospitals to primary health providers.