Overview
- A major Global Burden of Disease analysis published in May 2026 reports about 1.2 billion people lived with a mental disorder in 2023, almost double the 1990 total.
- Most of the recent rise is driven by anxiety disorders and severe depression, which the study says increased roughly 47% and 24% respectively since 2019 and reached peaks after the COVID‑19 pandemic.
- Women and adolescents, especially those aged 15–19, carry a disproportionate share of the burden, while measured rates are highest in some high‑income regions and data from low‑income countries remain sparse.
- The report finds a large treatment shortfall with only about 9–11% of people with severe depression receiving minimally adequate care worldwide and 90 countries below 5% coverage, prompting calls for targeted prevention and scaled investment.
- Researchers note that higher detection, demographic shifts and uneven data quality may partly explain the increases, but they and outside experts say the results still require urgent policy responses and wider mental‑health system strengthening.