Burden of Mental Disorders

de Jordi Alonso, Somnath Chatterji, Yanling He

Mental disorders have a huge cost, both to individuals and to society. The direct costs of providing appropriate mental healthcare must be considered along with the societal costs of not doing so. This volume uses the findings of the WHO Mental Health surveys, a long-term study with more than 120,000 people from 24 countries, to present a comprehensive portrait of the burden of mental disorders. The most up-to-date measures, field procedures and analysis methodology were used and the results have been rigorously peer-reviewed and assessed for accuracy. Topics covered include the effects of mental disorders on educational attainment, marital stability, violence, absenteeism, earnings, and the disability they cause. The book also discusses the implications for policy and practice.