title: The role of public health in mental health promotion.
abstract: Mental illness contributes a substantial burden of disease worldwide. Globally, approximately 450 million persons suffer from mental disorders, and one fourth of the world's population will develop a mental or behavioral disorder at some point during their lives. Mental disorders account for approximately 25% of disability in the United States, Canada, and Western Europe and are a leading cause of premature death. In the United States, approximately 22% of the U.S. adult population has one or more diagnosable mental disorders in a given year. The estimated lifetime prevalences for mental disorders among the U.S. adult population are approximately 29% for anxiety disorders, 25% for impulse-control disorders, 21% for mood disorders, 15% for substance-use disorders, and 46% for any of these disorders. In addition, an estimated one in 10 children in the United States has a mental disorder that causes some level of impairment. The effects of mental illness are evident across the life span, among all ethnic, racial, and cultural groups, and among persons of every socioeconomic level. Moreover, mental illness costs the United States an estimated $150 billion annually, excluding the costs of research.
mesh_terms: D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008603:Mental Health; D015980:Public Health Practice; D014481:United States