The Role of Public Health in Mental Health
Promotion
Mental
illness contributes a substantial burden of disease worldwide.
Globally, approximately 450 million persons suffer from mental
disorders (1), and one fourth of the world's population will
develop a mental or behavioral disorder at some point during their
lives (2). Mental disorders account for approximately 25% of
disability in the United States, Canada, and Western Europe and are
a leading cause of premature death (1,3). In the United
States, approximately 22% of the U.S. adult population has one or
more diagnosable mental disorders in a given year (3). 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 (4).
In addition, an estimated one in 10 children in the United States
has a mental disorder that causes some level of impairment (5).
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 (6). Moreover, mental illness costs
the United States an estimated $150 billion annually, excluding the
costs of research (7).
Mental health
is integral to overall health and well-being and should be treated
with the same urgency as physical health (3,7). Mental
illness can influence the onset, progression, and outcome of other
illnesses and often correlates with health risk behaviors such as
substance abuse, tobacco use, and physical inactivity (8).
Depression has emerged as a risk factor for such chronic illnesses
as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes and can
adversely affect the course and management of these conditions (8).
Treatment for
mental disorders is available and effective (3,5). However,
the majority of persons with diagnosed mental disorders do not
receive treatment (4). The challenges for public health are
to identify risk factors, increase awareness about mental disorders
and the effectiveness of treatment, remove the stigma associated
with receiving treatment, eliminate health disparities, and improve
access to mental health services for all persons, particularly among
populations that are disproportionately affected (1,3).
Public health agencies can incorporate mental health promotion into
chronic disease prevention efforts, conduct surveillance and
research to improve the evidence base about mental health in the
United States, and collaborate with partners to develop
comprehensive mental health plans to enhance coordination of care.
CDC has
mobilized multiple efforts to assess and address mental health and
well-being. Data on mental health, risk behaviors, and comorbidity
of mental illness and chronic disease are collected through various
national surveillance initiatives. CDC also collaborates with the
World Federation for Mental Health to address stigma, a pervasive
barrier to seeking treatment, through promotion of public awareness
campaigns, such as World Mental Health Day. As the nation's premier
public health agency, CDC is well-positioned to expand its role in
safeguarding mental health by supporting the efforts
of other health agencies, such as the Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration and the National Institute of Mental
Health, through continued surveillance of mental illness and risk
behaviors in the U.S. population and promotion of mental health
across the life span.
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5434a1.htm
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