Survey reveals a mad and sad Europe

This major landmark study prepared by the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) and the European Brain Council (EBC), under the co-ordination of ECNP vice-president Hans-Ulrich Wittchen, sheds new light on the state of Europe’s mental and neurological health. The study demonstrates the degree to which mental disorders have become Europe’s largest health challenge in the 21st century and that the majority remain untreated. Taken together with the large and increasing number of “disorders of the brain,” the true size and burden is even significantly higher.

This study covers 30 countries (the European Union plus Switzerland, Iceland and Norway), with a combined population of 514 million people, and encompasses all major mental disorders, including (amongst others) depression, bipolar disorders, anxiety disorders, insomnia, addiction and schizophrenia, as well as several neurological disorders, including stroke, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis.

The study also identifies the critical challenges to improved basic and clinical research on mental and neurological disorders in the region.

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EurActiv, 14.03.14: Depression costs European businesses nearly €100 billion per year http://www.euractiv.com/health/depression-costs-european-busine-news-534130

EurActiv, 29.01.15: German economy burdened by growing rate of depression http://www.euractiv.com/sections/health-consumers/german-economy-burdened-growing-rate-depression-311644

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