Call for more research spending as new report shows mental disorders now Europe’s biggest health problem

A major study released today (5 September) by the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) shows that mental disorders have become Europe’s largest health problem, representing 26.6 per cent of the total disease burden. At present the majority of these disorders remain untreated.

The three-year study, published in the journal European Neuropsychopharmacology, and released at ECNP’s 24th conference in Paris, covers the 27 countries of the European Union plus Switzerland, Iceland and Norway, a total of 514 million people. All major mental disorders of children and adults are included, as well as several neurological disorders. The ECNP says inclusion of the full spectrum of disorders across all age groups, examined simultaneously in a single study, is unprecedented.

This backs up research released by ECNP earlier this year, which highlighted the funding crisis threatening development of new drugs for mental illness: 

The latest study found that each year, 38.2 per cent of the EU’s population – or 164.8 million people – suffers from a mental disorder. These disorders are prevalent in all age groups and affect the young as well as the elderly. The most frequent disorders are anxiety disorders (14.0%), insomnia (7.0%), major depression (6.9%), somatoform disorders (such as hypochondria, 6.3%), alcohol and drug dependence (>4%), attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorders (5% in the young), and dementia (1% among those aged 60-65, 30% among those aged 85 and above).

Although the burden of disease is increasing, there was no indication of increasing overall rates of mental disorders, compared with the previous comparable study in 2005, (which covered a restricted range of 13 diagnoses in adults only). The notable exception to this is an increase of dementia due to increased life expectancy. 

No improvements were found in the notoriously low treatment rates for mental disorders in comparison with the 2005 data, with only one third of all cases receiving treatment. And those that do receive treatment do so with considerable delays, of an average of several years and rarely with the appropriate, state-of-the-art therapies.

More depressing still, many millions patients in the EU suffer from neurologic disorders such as stroke, traumatic brain injuries, Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis, which should be counted on top of the above estimates.

Disorders of the brain, as measured by disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), are the largest contributor to the EU’s total morbidity burden, accounting for 26.6 per cent of the total disease burden, covering the full spectrum of all diseases. The four most disabling single conditions, in terms of DALYs were depression, dementias, alcohol use and stroke.

The study highlights the need to improved basic and clinical research on mental and neurological disorders in Europe saying that at present there is fragmentation in research and practice, with different concepts, approaches and diagnostic systems.

There is a marginalisation and stigmatisation of many disorders of the brain and a lack of public awareness about the full range of disorders of the brain and their burden on society.

“Concerted priority action is needed at all levels, including substantially increased funding for basic and clinical as well as public health research in order to identify better strategies for improved prevention and treatment for disorders of the brain as the core health challenge of the 21st century,” the report concludes.

One of the authors Hans-Ulrich Wittchen says there are two high priority issues. “First, the immense treatment gap documented for mental disorders has to be closed. Because mental disorders frequently start early in life, they have a strong malignant impact on later life. We have to acknowledge that only early targeted treatment in the young will effectively prevent the risk of increasingly larger proportions of severely ill patients in the future. Second, we have to take into account the developmental pathways of both mental and neurological disorders simultanously. Both groups of disorders share many common mechanisms and have reciprocal effects on each other. Only a joint approach […] covering the spectrum of disorders of the brain across the lifespan, will lead to an improved understanding of the causes and improved treatments”.

Wittchen added, “The low levels of awareness and knowledge about disorders of the brain, their prevalence and burden, are a major obstacle for progress in this direction. Dramatically increased funding of research on the causes and the treatment of disorders of the brain is needed.”

http://www.ecnp.eu