Bringing mental health home.

摘要

Unlike the health of our bodies, the health of our minds is often neglected. In 2007, The Lancet's Series on Global Mental Health sought to draw attention to the worldwide burden of mental illness. Data published by Michael Phillips and colleagues in this issue indicate that mental health disorders might affect far more people than previously estimated. Their study took on the challenging task of screening more than 60 000 people for any mental disorder in four Chinese provinces and found a prevalence of 17%, corresponding to 173 million people in China as a whole. The data contrast sharply with the findings of the global burden of disease reports-widely acclaimed as the standard against which mental health policy should be formed-by recording substantially higher prevalences for mental illnesses such as schizophrenia (69% vs 30%) and bipolar disorders (19% vs 5%). Accurate data specific to country and culture are essential to target effectively the scale-up of mental health services worldwide.