6.5 million need care. Most aren’t getting it. Clinical psychologists say about 6.5 million people in Morocco live with mental disorders, and they want the government’s plans turned into treatment people can reach.
The Moroccan Association of Clinical Psychology has warned that about 6.5 million people in Morocco live with mental disorders, and nearly 85% of them do not receive appropriate care. It urges the government to turn its mental health plans into treatment people can actually reach, especially for children and young people.
Children and young adolescents make up more than 30% of those affected, about two million, the association said, as reported by Radio France Internationale on Monday, November 9. By simple arithmetic, roughly 5.5 million people are not getting suitable care. The figures are estimates, not documented diagnoses.
Nearly 85% of the roughly 6.5 million people with mental disorders in Morocco do not receive appropriate care. — Moroccan Association of Clinical Psychology, as reported by RFI
The association called for wider prevention and early detection, easier access to psychological and medical treatment, better reimbursement of consultation costs, improved training for specialists, and local coordination among health, education and social protection.
The warning follows the September 3 launch of a national mental health plan running to 2030, with a stated budget of about 4 billion dirhams. The plan aims to strengthen primary care, develop nearby services and add specialized workers. The Health Ministry gave similar estimates at the launch, so the professionals’ demands hinge on whether existing commitments are delivered.
Challenges include the uneven spread of specialists, the cost of consultations, hard regular follow-up, and stigma that leads some families to delay seeking help. Professionals say success should be measured by how many people actually benefit, appointment wait times and how far services reach into clinics and schools, not by the funds allocated.