A groundbreaking study has revealed half of the global population will suffer with a mental health disorder by the time they reach the age of 75.
As part of the research, a team from the University of Queensland and Harvard Medical School analysed data from over 150,000 adults across 29 countries from 2001 to 2022. The findings shed light on the prevalence of specific mental health conditions and the varying experiences between genders.
Depression and anxiety emerged as the most common mental health issues faced by individuals by the age of 75. However, the study also highlighted distinct patterns among men and women.
The three most common mental health disorders among women:
The three most common mental health disorders among men:
- Alcohol abuse
- Depression
- Specific phobia.
Lead author Professor McGrath, from Queensland University’s Brain Institute, elaborated on these recent findings, emphasising the average age at which individuals first encounter mental health challenges.
He said: “The peak age of first onset was at 15 years old, with a median age of onset of 19 for men and 20 for women. This lends weight to the need to invest in basic neuroscience to understand why these disorders develop.”
His research partner Prof Ronald Kessler, from Harvard Medical School, echoed these concerns and stressed the necessity for heightened investment in mental health services.
“Services need to be able to detect and treat common mental disorders promptly, and be optimised to suit patients in these critical parts of their lives,” he commented.
The study, published The Lancet, drew attention to this escalating healthcare crisis and prompt proactive intervention.
Prof Kessler added: “By understanding the age at which these disorders commonly arise, we can tailor public health interventions and allocate resources to ensure that appropriate and timely support is available to individuals at risk.
“While many scalable interventions for prevention and treatment have been developed, allocation is often suboptimal.”
In a separate report, Mind UK revealed approximately one in four people in the UK experiences a mental health problem each year, with a staggering 30 million Britons currently living with a mental health condition. These figures paint a grim picture of the challenges faced by individuals across the nation.
Furthermore, in 2019 the World Health Organisation estimated that nearly one billion people worldwide were grappling with a mental health condition.
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