Global Context of Mental Health and Mental Illness

“Mental health is as important as physical health to the overall well-being of individuals, societies and countries. Yet only a small minority of the 450 million people suffering from a mental or behavioural disorders are receiving treatment”

(The World Health Report 2001, Chapter 1)

In order to understand the global burden of mental disorders first we

need to understand DALYs

DALYs are Disability Adjusted Life Years

They’re a measure of the total length of time that a specific illness is disabling to an individual over the course of their life span

What does that mean? How are DALYs used?

DALYs are a calculation of the total disability incurred due to a specific illness

One measure of the global burden of disease

WHO Health Report, 2001

Disorder % Total

Unipolar Depression 16.4

Alcohol Use Disorder 5.5

Schizophrenia 4.9

Iron-Deficiency Anemia 4.9

Bipolar Disorder 4.7

Here are the leading causes of years of life lived with a disability: Ages 15-44

Mental Disorder Six Month Prevalence (%) Age = 18-54

Anxiety Disorder 16.4

Mood Disorder 7.1

Disruptive Behavioral Disorders 5.3

Substance Use Disorders 1.1

Any Disorder 1.3

WHO Health Report, 2001

This is how common mental disorders are in adults (18-54)

Non-Communicable Diseases account for approximately

50% of adult disease burden in the “developing world”

GLOBAL CONTEXT:

Mental disorders account for 5 of the top 10 in Global Burden of Disease (DALY’s)

GLOBAL CONTEXT:

HIV/AIDS

Unipolar Depressive Disorders

Road Traffic Accidents

Tuberculosis

Alcohol Use Disorders

Self-Inflicted Injuries

Iron-deficiency Amaemia

Schizophrenia

Bipolar Affective Disorder

Violence

HIV/AIDS

Unipolar Depressive Disorders

Road Traffic Accidents

Tuberculosis

Alcohol Use Disorders

Self-Inflicted Injuries

Iron-deficiency Amaemia

Schizophrenia

Bipolar Affective Disorder

Violence

2020By 2020 depression will be the

second most costly (DALYs) disease worldwide

GLOBAL CONTEXT:

How do mental disorders impact children and adolescents

Most mental illnesses onset during the adolescent years

Mental Disorder Six Month Prevalence (%) Age = 9-17

Anxiety Disorder 13.0

Mood Disorder 6.2

Disruptive Behavioral Disorders 10.3

Substance Use Disorders 2.0

Any Disorder 20.9

WHO Health Report, 2001

This is how common mental disorders are in children and adolescents (9-17)

“Most of this burden is preventable on the basis of existing knowledge” ~ Lee Jong-wook (former WHO Director- General)

Further Reading

World Health Report 2001, World Health Organization - mental health: new understanding, new hopehttp://www.who.int/whr/2001/en/index.html

Global Burden of Neurological Disorders, World Health Organization, http://www.who.int/mental_health/neurology/chapter_2_neuro_disorders_public_h_challenges.pdf

Mental Health Atlas, World Health Organization, 2005 http://www.who.int/mental_health/evidence/atlas/global_results.pdf

Country Resources for Neurological Disorders, World Health Organization Atlas, 2004http://www.who.int/mental_health/neurology/neurogy_atlas_lr.pdf Child and Adolescent Mental Health Resources, World Health Organization, 2004http://www.who.int/mental_health/resources/Child_ado_atlas.pdf

Updated projections of global mortality and burden of disease, 2002–2030, World Health Organization - http://www.who.int/healthinfo/statistics/bodprojectionspaper.pdf

Suicide Statistics, World Health Organizationhttp://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/suicide/country_reports/en/index.html

Global and regional burden of disease and risk factors, 2001http://www.fic.nih.gov/news/fogarty/2006/dcpp_lancet_367.pdf

In Adolescent Mental Health

For more information visit

WWW.TEENMENTALHEALTH.ORG

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