The epidemiological burden of major psychiatric disorders

Abstract

Psychiatric disorders, including common mental disorders, schizophrenia, and suicide, contribute substantially to the global burden of disease in terms of both morbidity and premature mortality, making them an important issue for public mental health. Epidemiological tools quantifying the burden of psychiatric disorders are important in furthering our understanding of psychiatric disorders and informing decision-making. In this chapter, we review major epidemiological studies from the past 30 years of psychiatric epidemiology to provide an overview of the burden of common mental disorders (depression and anxiety), psychotic disorders (schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders), and suicide. We also describe how the incidence and prevalence of these disorder vary by person and place, with a particular focus on the patterns of psychiatric disorders by ethnicity. Finally, we discuss the challenge of applying epidemiological evidence to public health, highlighting key issues facing public health professionals, researchers, and policymakers working in public mental health.