How did we arrive at burden of disease estimates for mental ... : Current Opinion in Psychiatry (original) (raw)

PROVISION OF SERVICES TO PEOPLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS: Edited by Giovanni de Girolamo and Thomas Becker

How did we arrive at burden of disease estimates for mental and illicit drug use disorders in the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010?

Whiteford, Harvey A.a,b; Ferrari, Alize J.a,b; Baxter, Amanda J.a,b; Charlson, Fiona J.a,b; Degenhardt, Louisac,d

aSchool of Population Health, University of Queensland, Herston

bQueensland Centre for Mental Health Research, Wacol, Queensland

cNational Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales

dCentre for Health Policy, Programs and Economics, School of Population Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Correspondence to Harvey A. Whiteford, Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, The Park Centre for Mental Health, Wacol, Locked Bag 500, Sumner Park BC, QLD 4074, Australia. Tel: +61 7 3271 8684; fax: +61 7 3271 8689; e-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

Purpose of review

The Global Burden of Disease study 2010 (GBD 2010) estimated regional and global burden of 291 diseases and 67 risk factors. Here, we provide an overview of the methodological approach taken to this work, as well as the challenges and limitations encountered in deriving the burden of mental and drug use disorders.

Recent findings

GBD 2010 estimated the burden of 11 mental disorders and four drug use disorders for 21 regions. This involved a systematic literature search for epidemiological data; setting lay case definitions; synthesizing available epidemiological data into an internally consistent disease model; and quantifying the associated disability and health outcomes, to derive region, sex, year and age-specific burden estimates. Notable challenges included the difficulty in deriving culturally comparable case definitions for mental and drug use disorders, the paucity of epidemiological data and the difficulty in capturing disability associated with mental and drug use disorders.

Summary

GBD 2010 findings demonstrated the major public health importance of mental and drug use disorders. The methodology used to estimate burden was more sophisticated than previous GBD studies, with some restrictions required in order to achieve defensible numerical measures of burden for mental and drug use disorders.