title: Gender differences in mental health expectancies in early- and midlife in six European countries.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Health expectancies, taking into account both quality and quantity of life, have generally been based on disability and physical functioning.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To compare mental health expectancies at age 25 and 55 based on common mental disorders both across countries and between males and females.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mental health expectancies were calculated by combining mortality data from population life tables and the age-specific prevalence of selected common mental disorders obtained from the European Study of the Epidemiology of Mental Disorders (ESEMeD).
  
  
  RESULTS
  For the male population aged 25 (all countries combined) life expectancy was 52 years and life expectancy spent with a common mental disorder was 1.8 years (95% CI 0.7-2.9), 3.4% of overall life expectancy. In comparison, for the female population life expectancy at age 25 was higher (57.9 years) as was life expectancy spent with a common mental disorder (5.1 years, 95% CI 3.6-6.6) and as a proportion of overall life expectancy, 8.8%. By age 55 life expectancy spent with a common mental disorder had reduced to 0.7 years (males) and 2.3 years (females).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Age and gender differences underpin our understanding of years spent with common mental disorders in adulthood. Greater age does not mean living relatively more years with common mental disorder. However, the female population spends more years with common mental disorders and a greater proportion of their longer life expectancy with them (and with each studied separate mental disorder).
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, University of Leicester, UK. tsb@le.ac.uk
authors.forename: Traolach S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Brugha
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Matthews
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Alonso
authors.forename: Gemma
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vilagut
authors.forename: Tony
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fouweather
authors.forename: Ronny
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bruffaerts
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: de Girolamo
authors.forename: Ron
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: de Graaf
authors.forename: Josep M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Haro
authors.forename: Viviane
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kovess
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jagger
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008017:Life Expectancy; D015993:Life Tables; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012727:Sex Characteristics