MENTAL HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT: - libdoc.who.int - World ...

Premature death and disability is common among people with mental health conditions.
2.10 People with mental health conditions experience
substantial disability and premature death
As a cumulative result of prolonged exposure to the preceding social and economic
factors leading to vulnerability, people with mental health conditions are
at heightened risk for premature death and disability. The substantial treatment
gap – between the prevalence of mental health conditions, on one hand, and the
number of people receiving treatment, and care, on the other hand – only compounds
this burden.
Globally, mental health conditions account for 13% of the total burden of disease,
and 31% of all years lived with disability. 6 By 2030, depression alone is likely to be
the single highest contributor to burden of disease in the world – more so than
heart disease, stroke, road traffic accidents, and HIV/AIDS. 139
More than 80% of the global burden of disease due to mental health conditions
can be found in low- and middle-income countries. 6 In low-income countries,
depression causes almost as much burden as malaria (3.2% versus 4.0% of the total
disease burden); in middle-income countries, depression is the major contributor
to disease burden, accounting for twice the burden of HIV/AIDS (5.1% versus
2.6% of total disease burden). 7
The full health impact of mental health conditions extends well beyond that
which is represented by their burden of disease calculations. People with mental
health conditions are more likely than others to develop significant physical
24 MentalHealthandDevelopment:Targetingpeoplewithmentalhealthconditionsasavulnerablegroup
UN Photo/Martine Perret