1 in 6 Europeans suffers from a mental illness

In 2016, 17% of Europeans, or 84 million people, had a mental health problem. Among them, 21 million (4.5% of the total population) suffered from depression, 5 million (1%) from bipolar disorder and 1.5 million (0.3%) from schizophrenia, we learn from a study by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Mental illnesses are more widespread than we think: on average in Europe, 1 in 6 people suffer from it. The most common of these diseases, depression, affected 4.5% of the population in 2016. 55-64 year olds are particularly affected since 11.5% of women and 7% of men in this age category suffer from depression. chronic. People with low incomes and those not working suffer on average twice as often from depression.

Of the 28 countries of the European Union, mental illness is statistically the most prevalent in Finland, the Netherlands, France and Ireland, with at least 18% of the population in each of these countries suffering from an illness mental. Conversely, the prevalence of mental illness is lowest in the Czech Republic, Poland, Bulgaria and Romania (14 to 15%); a gap that the authors of the study believe is linked to a lower propensity to consult a psychiatrist in these countries, for fear of being stigmatized.

Besides the impact on the well-being of the sick themselves, mental illnesses also create an economic problem. Indeed, not only are these patients less productive, working fewer hours or not at all, but they also make use of the social protection system of their respective countries. Their life expectancy is also six years less on average than that of a mentally healthy person, which considerably shortens the duration of their participation in the labor market.

Across the 28 countries of the European Union, the shortfall amounts to 240 billion euros, to which must be added 170 billion euros in social security expenditure and 190 billion euros directly allocated to healthcare. health.