ABSTRACT
Mental disorders rank very highly in the overall burden of disease compared with many other causes of ill health and disability, although this is not widely appreciated by policymakers and health system managers. Their economic impact on governments and societies is also very substantial. There is very clear evidence that people with mental disorder experience discrimination. The concept of parity of esteem means according the same priority to high-quality treatment for mental health as for physical health. In 2014, the World Health Organization estimated that the burden of years lost to disability due to mental disorder was nearly 23" of the entire global disease burden. Suicide is a rare outcome of mental illness but demands attention because it is catastrophic. Mental disorders and poor mental health occur throughout the course of life. Mental disorder in childhood and adolescence is associated with a range of poor adult outcomes, including ongoing mental disorder, self-harm, suicide and health risk-taking behaviour.
