Study in The Lancet finds 1.2 billion living with mental disorders in 2023

Nearly 1.2 billion people worldwide were living with a mental disorder in 2023, a figure that has nearly doubled since 1990, according to a major new study published in The Lancet. The research identifies mental disorders as the leading cause of disability globally, surpassing cardiovascular disease, cancer, and musculoskeletal conditions.

The comprehensive analysis, led by researchers at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation in collaboration with the University of Queensland, examined data from 204 countries and territories between 1990 and 2023. It assessed 12 mental disorders, finding anxiety and major depressive disorder to be the most common. These conditions ranked as the 11th and 15th largest contributors, respectively, to the global disease burden among 304 diseases and injuries measured.

In 2023, mental disorders accounted for 171 million disability-adjusted life years, a measure combining years lost to illness, disability, or premature death, making them the fifth-leading cause of total disease burden worldwide. They were responsible for more than 17 percent of all years lived with disability.

Recent increases have been sharp, with the age-standardized...