Towards a Healthier 2020: Advancing Mental Health as a Global Health Priority

Abstract

Mental and behavioral disorders account for approximately 7.4 percent of the global burden of disease and represent the leading cause of disability worldwide. Intricately connected to educational achievement, overall health outcomes, and economic prosperity, mental and behavioral disorders have nonetheless largely been disregarded within the global health agenda. Recent efforts that more fully quantify the burden of mental and behavioral disorders, coupled with accumulating data of evidence-based approaches that successfully treat these disorders, even in low resource communities, serve as a cornerstone for envisioning a new era that prioritizes and integrates mental health in global health and development. A healthier 2020 depends on global collaboration, improved classification systems, expanded research networks that inform policy and practice globally, and innovative strategies to build capacity in terms of workforce and health care delivery systems. This work will require vigilance to combat ongoing stigma and vision to anticipate global demographic trends of an increasingly urban and ageing population. Such efforts have the potential to transform the lives of hundreds of millions of people around the globe.

Quality of life, anxiety, depression, and stress among adults in Greece following the global financial crisis

“…It has been well documented that differences and especially drastic changes in socio-economic conditions and the environment can lead to health inequities that include mental health disorders (De Vogli, 2014; Marmot and Allen, 2014). Thus, health inequities are understood to be socially produced and constructed as they are created by unfair power and resource distribution (Marmot and Allen, 2014; Marmot et al, 2013; Pike et al, 2013). Mental health disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and stress, have been found to be associated with socioeconomic factors, such as unemployment, low level of education, and poverty as well as – along with being female – being single and having a lower quality of life (QoL) (Economou et al, 2013; Madianos et al, 2014; Marmot et al, 2013; Mylona et al, 2014; Skapinakis et al, 2013).…”

“…Unemployment in particular has been consistently seen as a high risk factor for mental health disorders, mainly as a result of a lack of financial security, too much unstructured time, and limited social interactions. Similarly, depression and anxiety disorders have been found to significantly impact all aspects of QoL from general well-being to the increased risk of other health disorders (Panayiotou and Karekla, 2013; Pike et al, 2013). These relationships are of great importance as they affect the individual, his or her surroundings, and health-care expenditure (Choi et al, 2014).…”

Mind-Body-Inviroment Connection and More: Not Only How Emotional Health Affects Physical Health and Viceversa

“…Hace más de una década se mostró que a Latinoamérica correspondía un 10.5% de la carga mundial de morbilidad, debida a trastornos neuro-psiquiátricos como depresión, alcoholismo, esquizofrenia, trastorno bipolar y abuso de sustancias 9,10 . En la actualidad, si bien es cierto que las enfermedades no transmisibles se están convirtiendo en los problemas de salud preponderantes en todas las regiones en vías de desarrollo, el reporte de la carga global de enfermedades ha revelado la gran escala de contribución de los desórdenes mentales, siendo los estados neurológicos y psiquiátricos los que más contribuyen a dicha carga total, incluso más que el cáncer y las enfermedades cardiovasculares 10,11 .…”

Spiritual, Religious, and Faith-Based Practices in Chronicity

“…Other researchers have noted that three in five global deaths are now attributed to four chronic conditions, namely, cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic lung diseases, and diabetes (Wang et al 2016). Mental and behavioral disorders, in particular, are also now recognized as among the leading causes of chronicity and global disability with an estimated 22.2 percent of all years lived with disability attributable to these disorders, and mood disorders (including major depression, bipolar disorder, and dysthymia), anxiety, alcohol and drug abuse, and schizophrenia among the top twenty (Pike et al 2013). On other accounts, mental, neurological, and substance-use (MNS) disorders constitute 13 percent of the global burden of disease, surpassing both cardiovascular disease and cancer (Collins, Patel and Joestl 2011).…”