Mental Health and Human Resilience

Biography

Biography: Lina Díaz-Castro

Abstract

Demographic and epidemiological changes reflect the distribution and impact of the global burden of disease in the world. The main change from 1990 to 2010 was the reduction of infectious diseases and an increase of non-communicable diseases, including mental disorders, which increased from 5.4% in 1990 to 7.4% in 2010. Worldwide, mental and substance use disorders accounted for 183.9 million DALYs (Disability Adjusted Life Years). The depression has the highest prevalence, the number of DALYs for this condition increased 38% from 1990 to 2010. 13% of the total global burden of disease is generated by mental disorders.

In Mexico, we quantify the global disease burden attributable to mental and substance use disorders and explore variations in burden by disorder type and age. Summarizes DALYs assigned to each mental and substance use disorder in 2010. These disorders as a group ranked as the fithty leading cause of DALYs after diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, major depressive disorder was responsible for the highest proportion of mental disorders with 7.02% of DALYs.

Mental disorders are a principle cause of the global burden of disease in the world, and in low-to-middle-income countries (LMICs) such as Mexico; but health systems have not responded adequately to confront this problem. Treatment rates for these disorders are low, particularly in LMICs, where there are treatment gaps of more than 90%.

Historically, major health policy decisions have been informed by mortality statistics. Although the understanding of disease causing premature mortality expanded as a result, the lack of emphasis on morbidity undervalued the global impact of prevalent and disabling disorders with lower mortality, such as mental and substance use disorders. The politics of mental health in LMICs such as Mexico, make access to the health system difficult; moreover, services are insufficient and not well distributed.