Mental Disorders: Key Facts

Mental disorders
Fact sheet N°396

Updated October 2015
Key facts
 There are many different mental disorders, with different presentations. They are
generally characterized by a combination of abnormal thoughts, perceptions,
emotions, behaviour and relationships with others.
 Mental disorders include: depression, bipolar affective disorder, schizophrenia and
other psychoses, dementia, intellectual disabilities and developmental disorders
including autism.
 There are effective strategies for preventing mental disorders such as depression.
 There are effective treatments for mental disorders and ways to alleviate the suffering
caused by them.
 Access to health care and social services capable of providing treatment and social
support is key.
The burden of mental disorders continues to grow with significant impacts on health and
major social, human rights and economic consequences in all countries of the world.
Depression
Depression is a common mental disorder and one of the main causes of disability worldwide.
Globally, an estimated 350 million people are affected by depression. More women are
affected than men.
Depression is characterized by sadness, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low

self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, tiredness, and poor concentration. Sufferers may also
have multiple physical complaints with no apparent physical cause. Depression can be long-
lasting or recurrent, substantially impairing people’s ability to function at work or school and
to cope with daily life. At its most severe, depression can lead to suicide.
Prevention programmes have been shown to reduce depression, both for children (e.g.
through protection and psychological support following physical and sexual abuse) and adults
(e.g. through psychosocial assistance after disasters and conflicts).
There are also effective treatments. Mild to moderate depression can be effectively treated
with talking therapies, such as cognitive behaviour therapy or psychotherapy. Antidepressants
can be an effective form of treatment for moderate to severe depression but are not the first
line of treatment for cases of mild depression. They should not be used for treating depression
in children and are not the first line of treatment in adolescents, among whom they should be
used with caution.
Management of depression has to include psychosocial aspects, including identifying stress
factors, such as financial problems, difficulties at work or physical or mental abuse, and
sources of support, such as family members and friends. The maintenance or reactivation of
social networks and social activities is important.
Bipolar affective disorder
This disorder affects about 60 million people worldwide. It typically consists of both manic
and depressive episodes separated by periods of normal mood. Manic episodes involve
elevated or irritable mood, over-activity, pressure of speech, inflated self-esteem and a
decreased need for sleep. People who have manic attacks but do not experience depressive
episodes are also classified as having bipolar disorder.
Effective treatments are available for the treatment of the acute phase of bipolar disorder and
the prevention of relapse. These are medicines that stabilize mood. Psychosocial support is an
important component of treatment.
Schizophrenia and other psychoses
Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder, affecting about 21 million people worldwide.

Psychoses, including schizophrenia, are characterized by distortions in thinking, perception,
emotions, language, sense of self and behaviour. Common psychotic experiences include
hallucinations (hearing, seeing or feeling things that are not there) and delusions( fixed false
beliefs or suspicions that are firmly held even when there is evidence to the contrary). The
disorder can make it difficult for people affected to work or study normally.
Stigma and discrimination can result in a lack of access to health and social services.
Furthermore, people with psychosis are at high risk of exposure to human rights violations,
such as long term confinement in institutions.
Schizophrenia typically begins in late adolescence or early adulthood. Treatment with

medicines and psychosocial support is effective. With appropriate treatment and social
support, affected people can lead a productive life, be integrated in society. Facilitation of
assisted living, supported housing and supported employment can act as a base from which
people with severe mental disorders, including Schizophrenia, can achieve numerous
recovery goals as they often face difficulty in obtaining or retaining normal employment or
housing opportunities..
Dementia
Worldwide, 47.5 million people have dementia. Dementia is usually of a chronic or

progressive nature in which there is deterioration in cognitive function (i.e. the ability to
process thought) beyond what might be expected from normal ageing. It affects memory,
thinking, orientation, comprehension, calculation, learning capacity, language, and
judgement. The impairment in cognitive function is commonly accompanied, and
occasionally preceded, by deterioration in emotional control, social behaviour, or motivation.
Dementia is caused by a variety of diseases and injuries that affect the brain, such as
Alzheimer's disease or stroke.
Though there is no treatment currently available to cure dementia or to alter its progressive
course, many treatments are in various stages of clinical trials. Much can be done, however,
to support and improve both the lives of people with dementia and their caregivers and
families.
Developmental disorders, including autism
Developmental disorder is an umbrella term covering intellectual disability and pervasive

developmental disorders including autism. Developmental disorders usually have a childhood
onset but tend to persist into adulthood, causing impairment or delay in functions related to
the central nervous system maturation. They generally follow a steady course rather than the
periods of remissions and relapses that characterize many other mental disorders.
Intellectual disability is characterized by impairment of skills across multiple developmental

area such as cognitive functioning and adaptive behaviour. Lower intelligence diminishes the
ability to adapt to the daily demands of life.
Symptoms of pervasive developmental disorders, such as autism, include impaired social

behaviour, communication and language, and a narrow range of interests and activities that
are both unique to the individual and are carried out repetitively. Developmental disorders
often originate in infancy or early childhood. People with these disorders occasionally display
some degree of intellectual disability.
Family involvement in care of people with developmental disorders is very important.

Knowing what causes affected people both distress and wellbeing is an important element of
care, as is finding out what environments are most conductive to better learning. Structure to
daily routines help prevent unnecessary stress, with regular times for eating, playing,
learning, being with others, and sleeping. Regular follow up by health services of both
children and adults with developmental disorders, and their carers, needs to be in place.
The community at large has a role to play in respecting the rights and needs of people with
disabilities.
Who is at risk from mental disorders?
Determinants of mental health and mental disorders include not only individual attributes
such as the ability to manage one's thoughts, emotions, behaviours and interactions with
others, but also social, cultural, economic, political and environmental factors such as
national policies, social protection, standards of living, working conditions, and community
support.
Stress, Genetics, nutrition, perinatal infections and exposure to environmental hazards are
also contributing factors to mental disorders.
Health and support
Health systems have not yet adequately responded to the burden of mental disorders. As a
consequence, the gap between the need for treatment and its provision is wide all over the
world. In low- and middle-income countries, between 76% and 85% of people with mental
disorders receive no treatment for their disorder. In high-income countries, between 35% and
50% of people with mental disorders are in the same situation.
A further compounding problem is the poor quality of care for many of those who do receive
treatment.
In addition to support from health-care services, people with mental illness require social
support and care. They often need help in accessing educational programmes which fit their
needs, and in finding employment and housing which enable them to live and be active in
their local communities.
WHO response
WHO’s Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2020, endorsed by the World Health Assembly in
2013, recognizes the essential role of mental health in achieving health for all people. The
plan includes 4 major objectives:
 more effective leadership and governance for mental health;

 the provision of comprehensive, integrated mental health and social care services in
community-based settings;
 the implementation of strategies for promotion and prevention; and
 strengthened information systems, evidence and research.
WHO's Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP), launched in 2008, uses evidence-
based technical guidance, tools and training packages to expand service in countries,
especially in resource-poor settings. It focuses on a prioritized set of conditions, directing
capacity building towards non-specialized health-care providers in an integrated approach
that promotes mental health at all levels of care.

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Mental disorders

Fact sheet N°396

Depression is characterized by sadness, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low

Bipolar affective disorder

Schizophrenia and other psychoses

Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder, affecting about 21 million people worldwide.

Schizophrenia typically begins in late adolescence or early adulthood. Treatment with

Worldwide, 47.5 million people have dementia. Dementia is usually of a chronic or

Developmental disorders, including autism

Developmental disorder is an umbrella term covering intellectual disability and pervasive

Intellectual disability is characterized by impairment of skills across multiple developmental

Symptoms of pervasive developmental disorders, such as autism, include impaired social

Family involvement in care of people with developmental disorders is very important.

Who is at risk from mental disorders?

Health and support

 more effective leadership and governance for mental health;

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