Against the background of the fact that millions of human lives are claimed by cardiovascular diseases, cancer, AIDS, mental illnesses remain an underestimated problem of the modern world.
And this situation is explained by the difficulties in defining the boundary, for example, between ordinary sadness and a pathological condition that requires medical intervention. In addition, the professionalism of psychiatrists in many countries of the world leaves much to be desired.
But the WHO report, released in 2013, voiced a very pessimistic forecast: the experts of this respected organization suggest that by 2030 mental illness will become almost the main medical problem of mankind.
Where did such a frightening prospect come from? It turns out that in the recent past, several international studies have been conducted to study the distribution of mental illness in different countries. According to the data obtained, in England 22% of the population suffers from diseases of this kind, in Germany - 32.7%, in Norway - 22%, in Australia - 14.8%.
A similar study in three American states found that between 29% and 38% of the population suffered from mental disorders. In the research works of Scandinavian scientists, it was found that in Sweden the number of people with an unhealthy psyche is approximately 31% of the total population, in the Netherlands - 7.3%, in Finland - 17%.
In the course of the latest massive survey, conducted in 2008 in 28 countries around the world, it was found that approximately 33% of the adult population suffers from various forms of mental disorders.
Depressive states are especially often manifested in people. Thus, in the United States, 5-10% of the adult population undergo severe forms of depression every year. In Canada, England and a number of other countries, similar statistics were obtained. In fact, up to 18% of the entire adult population of the planet can experience depression in one form or another during their lifetime.
In addition, some studies have shown that, since 1915, the likelihood of sinking into severe depression has increased steadily. Moreover, the average age of people at which they first encounter this disease decreases with each subsequent generation.
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It was also found that in women, severe forms of depression occur at least 2 times more often than in men, or, in percentage terms, depression appears in 26% of women and only 12% of men. In children, the prevalence of depression is about the same for girls and boys.
It should be noted that an attack of severe depression can occur at any age. But about 70% of patients return to normal after a few months, and some of them do without medical help.
Like any disease, mental illness causes significant damage to the economy of a country. So, in 2005, the direct burden on the health care systems of European countries was estimated at 277 billion euros, and the total damage at 386 billion. In 2010, total costs increased to 500 billion euros.
In general, according to WHO estimates, brain disorders account for 13% of the damage from all diseases. This is more than the cost of cancer and cardiovascular disease.
In early 2013, some truly shocking data were released. It turns out that American taxpayers cost about $ 155 billion a year to treat and care for patients with age-related dementia, more than patients with cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
At the same time, the bulk of the costs is directed not to medicines or medical care, but to caring for patients in psychiatric hospitals or at home. Considering the fact that the number of people with dementia increases with age, experts suggest that the annual costs associated with this disease will rise to 750 billion in 25 years.
By the way, the economic damage from senile dementia to the economy of England was 2 times higher than the damage from cancer.
As for the costs of other mental illnesses, for example, in 2012, the cost of the American economy to combat depression resulted in $ 45 billion. And in Israel, the costs of depression are estimated at $ 3 billion, and the same amount is for anxiety disorders.
However, not all countries can devote significant funds to the prevention and treatment of mental illness. For example, in low- and middle-income countries, respectively, about 76% and 85% of people with severe mental disorders receive no treatment.
However, the corresponding figures for countries with a high level of income are also quite significant: from 35 to 50%.
By the way, numerous studies have shown that among people with mental illnesses, the mortality rate is very high. For example, for people with schizophrenia and severe forms of depression, the risk of death increases by 1.6 and 1.4 times, respectively, compared to the rest of the population.