38% of Europe's population suffer from mental disorders every year
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
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The most common among these ailments are anxiety, insomnia, depression. The total damage from diseases of this group, applied to 30 European countries, is € 0.8 trillion.
According to a three-year study by the European Council for the Study of the Brain (EBC) and the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP), conducted in 30 European countries (27 participants in the EU, Norway, Iceland and Switzerland), 38% of their population (165 million out of 435 million) from various kinds of mental disorders and neurological diseases. The combination of mental and organic disorders in one study is due to the fact that these conditions often (but not always) accompany each other. The most common disorders are anxiety, insomnia and depression (14%, 7% and 6.9% of the total number of diseases).
The previous EBC / ECNP study, led by Hans-Ulrich Wittchen of the Dresden Technical University (Germany), was completed in 2005; according to the estimates given in it, mentally ill and suffering from organic brain disorders were 27% of the total population of the countries in which it was conducted (301 million people). However, there is no statistically significant increase in the number of people suffering from mental and organic disorders - the new study took into account the additional 14 disorders that occur primarily in children and the elderly. It should be noted that the assessments of European scientists are not overestimated; conducted in 2008 in 28 countries around the world, The World Mental Health Survey estimated the number of adults suffering from mental disorders in 33%.
The group of Mr. Witthen will publish the full results of his research this October; among them there will be an estimation of direct costs for the treatment of mental disorders and organic brain diseases and indirect economic damage from these ailments. In 2005, the direct burden on health systems in European countries was estimated at € 277 billion, and the total damage was € 386 billion. Mr. Witten believes that the new estimate will be more than twice as high. Again, other studies indirectly confirm that the group's findings are far from alarming: according to WHO estimates, brain damage accounts for 13% of the damage from all diseases (this is more than the costs caused by oncological and cardiovascular diseases).
Experts believe that in order to combat mental diseases and organic disorders, it is important to conduct screening of the population, which should begin at an early age, and (first of all) change in people's perception of these diseases: they should in no way be perceived as shameful or shameful.