A global mental health crisis has been unfolding since 1990, affecting nearly 1.2 billion people, according to a recent study whose data also points to a sharp rise in Greece. The findings leave no room for complacency. The number of people living with a mental illness has nearly doubled over the past 30 years worldwide.

The surge was even steeper for major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders, which increased by 131% and 158% respectively, making them the two most common mental health conditions.

The dramatic rise in mental disorders has made them the fifth leading cause of lost healthy life years worldwide (DALYs, or years lost to illness or premature death) and the leading cause of disability, surpassing cardiovascular disease, cancer, and musculoskeletal conditions. At the same time, only 9% of people with major depression receive even minimally adequate treatment, while in 90 countries fewer than 5% of the population receives sufficient care.

The study, published in The Lancet, was conducted by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington in collaboration with the University of Queensland. Its central message is that health systems around the world continue to treat mental health as a secondary priority, even as alarming numbers have made it a primary one.

Greece is no exception, with a burden index higher than the Western European average. “Mental disorders were one of the leading causes of health burden in Greece in 2023,” notes Alize Ferrari, honorary associate professor at the Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, in a statement to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency.

According to the study’s data, the number of people in Greece with mental disorders, across both sexes and adjusted for population age differences, rose from 14,156.51 per 100,000 residents in 1990 to 19,551.86 in 2023.

In 2023, mental disorders contributed to 325,000 DALYs in the Greek population, regardless of sex or age, representing an increase of 135.5% compared to 1990. Overall, mental disorders accounted for 8.5% of total DALYs from all causes, ranking as the fifth most significant cause of total DALYs in 2023. Anxiety disorders and major depressive disorder made up the largest share of those lost years of life.

According to Ferrari, in 2023 the DALY rate for mental disorders in Greece (3,005.1 DALYs per 100,000 residents) was slightly higher than both the rest of Western Europe (2,744.5 DALYs per 100,000) and the global average (2,070.5 DALYs per 100,000).

The Study

The analysis examined the prevalence and burden of illness by sex across 25 age groups, 21 geographic regions, and 204 countries and territories for the period 1990 to 2023, making it the most comprehensive global study on mental disorders to date.

The greatest overall burden of mental disorders was recorded among adolescents aged 15 to 19 and among women of all ages. The burden also varies significantly between countries, with some of the highest rates found in high-income regions such as Australasia and Western Europe, particularly in countries like the Netherlands, Portugal, and Australia.

Significant increases were also recorded in West Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of South Asia.

Within the study, researchers counted 620 million cases of mental disorders in women and 552 million in men. “Compared to men, women show lower self-esteem, a greater tendency toward body shame, and higher rates of domestic violence and sexual abuse,” the report states.

Anxiety and Depression Dominate

The researchers evaluated twelve mental disorders and found that all of them increased in prevalence between 1990 and 2023. Anxiety disorders and major depressive disorder rank as the 11th and 15th leading causes of health burden among 304 diseases and injuries worldwide.

These two conditions are largely responsible for the recent increases in mental disorder prevalence. Since 2019, major depression has risen by approximately 24%, while anxiety disorders have increased by more than 47%, with both conditions peaking in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mental disorders affect people at all stages of life, though their forms and impacts differ by age. In early childhood, conditions such as autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), conduct disorders, and intellectual developmental disability predominate. As children enter adolescence, anxiety and major depressive disorder become the most significant sources of mental health burden.

In 2023, mental disorders accounted for 171 million years of life lost globally due to disability and premature death, ranking them among the top five leading causes of overall disease burden.

Factors Behind the Increase

As Euronews reports in its coverage of the study, researchers identified several significant risk factors associated with mental illness, including childhood sexual abuse, domestic violence, and bullying.

These were linked to conditions such as schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, conduct disorder, and bulimia. However, the researchers note that these factors alone do not explain the explosion in cases. Exposure rates to these risks remained relatively stable and accounted for only 18% of mental disorder DALYs in 2023.

The researchers believe that mental health outcomes are likely shaped by a more complex set of influences, including genetic and biological factors, poverty, growing inequality, and major global crises such as wars, pandemics, natural disasters, and climate change.

Although mental disorders have long been among the leading causes of disability worldwide, the researchers warn that the global burden continues to worsen. At the same time, the expansion of mental health services has failed to keep pace with growing demand. “This increase in disease burden has not been matched by a corresponding expansion of mental health services globally,” the report states.

Of the 204 countries and territories examined, only a handful of high-income countries such as Australia, Canada, and the Netherlands have treatment coverage exceeding 30%, highlighting the vast global gaps in mental health care.

The researchers emphasize that expanding access to mental health services, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, will be critical for improving the situation. Achieving this will require coordinated international action and sustained investment in mental health systems. “Meeting the mental health needs of our global population, especially the most vulnerable, is an obligation, not a choice,” their conclusions state.