Mental disorders double in three decades and already affect 1.200 million people

BarcelonaNearly 1.2 billion people worldwide live with a mental disorder, almost double the figure recorded in 1990. This is a blatant increase that places them as the leading cause of disability ahead of cardiovascular diseases and cancer, and they already account for one in six cases, according to a study by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) and the University of Queensland. The research findings are published in the journal The Lancet and indicate that they disproportionately affect adolescents between 15 and 19 years old and women. "These upward trends may reflect both the lingering effects of pandemic-related stress and long-term structural drivers, such as poverty, insecurity, abuse, violence, and declining social connectivity," explains Damian Santomauro, an associate professor at the Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research.

The study's authors examined the prevalence and burden of mental disorders in both sexes in 204 countries from 1990 to 2023. Recent increases in the incidence of these diseases have been largely driven by anxiety disorders and major depressive disorders. Since 2019, the prevalence of depression has increased by about 24% and that of anxiety by more than 47%, conditions that reach their peak in the years following the covid-19 pandemic. For Santomauro, sustained investment in mental health systems, expanded access to care, and better support for at-risk populations are needed to reduce these figures.

The authors also identified differences by age group, both in terms of the type of disorder and severity, and found that the burden of these diseases peaks among young people aged 15 to 19. Thus, the most prevalent in the younger age groups are autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), conduct disorder, and idiopathic intellectual developmental disability. As children grow and reach adolescence, anxiety and major depressive disorder are the most diagnosed.

They are accentuated among women

The same applies to gender differences. There are 620 million women of all ages worldwide living with a mental disorder, compared to 552 million men. According to the authors, multiple factors are likely behind these differences, ranging from gender-based violence and sexual abuse to increased caregiving responsibilities and structural inequalities such as gender discrimination.

Regarding country-level differences, the authors have found that high-income regions registered some of the highest burden rates globally, particularly in countries like the Netherlands, Portugal, and Australia. Significant increases in the burden rates for mental disorders were also observed in Western sub-Saharan Africa and parts of South Asia.

For Jorge Aguado, a psychologist at Hospital Clínic and researcher at Idibaps, this data must be analyzed with caution, as data from some countries are missing, there are differences in the quality of sources, and the information from these high-income areas is particularly used. In statements to Science Media Center, the expert clarifies that the study is key to guiding public policies, even though the results must be contextualized. "The observed increase may be due to multiple factors, such as demographic changes, increased detection, or the impact of covid-19, and not necessarily a real increase in cases," warns the expert.