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Despite the many cases on mental health and its long-awaited recognition of being just as important as physical health, governments worldwide still aren't prioritizing it enough in their respective budgets.

A recent study made by the World Health Organization and the World Bank suggests that for every dollar spent in the improvement of mental health care, there could be a $4 return in terms of an improved labor force and work productivity. Authors of the study say an estimated increase of $147 billion that will be invested in mental health care for the next 15 years could lead to a return of $310 billion. Basically, when people are healthy in mind, their sense of well-being is improved and this translates to a better ability to work.

According to Newsweek, the study, which was published in The Lancet on Tuesday April 12, looked at 36 countries of all income levels and found that governments spend only 1 to 5 percent of their health care budget on mental health.

Jim Yong Kim, president of the World Bank, said that governments around the world need to prioritize mental health care initiatives as sufferers of mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety continue to rise in number, as reported by USA today. Back in 2014, 16 million people in the US alone suffered from depression and/or anxiety, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. From 1990 to 2013, there has been a 50 percent increase worldwide in sufferers of depression and/or anxiety. The study also found that 80 percent of those likely to develop a depression and/or anxiety come from low-and middle-class countries.

On April 13 and 14, WHO and World Bank will be holding a conference in order to persuade governments and organizations to increase their spending on mental health care.

The conference on Wednesday and Thursday is where countries will have the chance to display their mental health care initiatives. Brazil and South Africa are reported to show their psychosocial care network and primary health care system respectively.

"Mental health needs to be a global humanitarian and development priority - and a priority in every country," said Arthur Kleinman, a professor of medical anthropology and psychiatry at Harvard University.

The study strongly encourages that mental health be part of universal health coverage packages. Wide-scale campaigns that educate on the effects of the discrimination mentally ill people experience are also recommended.