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Mental disorders are disorders of the brain
October 16, 2007Depression, anxiety disorders such as panic disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorders, alcohol and drug dependence, dementia and Parkinson's disease are just a few examples of "disorders of the brain". „The size, the burden and cost of brain disorders in the EU is immense, and has so far been underestimated", as Prof. Dr. Hans Ulrich Wittchen emphasized at the Official Press Conference to the 20th ECNP Congress for Neuropsychopharmacology in Vienna (October 13-17, 2007). This week over 6000 psychiatrists, neurologists, psychologists and neuroscience researchers and practitioners from all over the world join in Vienna at the 20th ECNP Congress to present and discuss the latest breakthroughs, the progress and the future perspectives in the fields of the origin and treatment of mental disorders, disorders of the brain, neuropsychopharmacology and related fields.
Increasing Lifetime Risk - Unmet Needs
Mental disorders such as anxiety and depressive disorders are disorders of the brain and involve complex patterns of disturbances of cognition (such as perception, attention, memory), affect and emotion (such as depressed mood, panic), somatic functioning (e.g. appetite, heart rate variability) and behaviour. These patterns and disturbances are all associated with disturbances in the transmitter systems of the brain and the central nervous system. What is special about most mental disorders is that they predominantly manifest early in life, before the age of 20. They are also associated across the life span with a high risk of developing complications and other - so called comorbid - disorders.
Conservatively estimated 27% of the adult EU-population has been suffering from at least one mental disorder in the past 12 months, such as depression, specific phobias, somatoform disorders, alcohol- and drug dependence, social phobia, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), bipolar disorder, psychotic disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) or eating disorders. The estimated total number of affected is 82,7 million in any given year.
Over the life span, the majority of the population in the EU will suffer a mental disorder at least once in their lifetime, and there are indications that mental disorders are on the rise. For instance, over the past decades there has been a steep increase in the risk for depression, especially among women. The reasons for this development is up to now poorly understood, but seems to be most likely linked to socioeconomic changes of modern life in industrialized regions.
Unlike to somatic diseases, such as diabetes and cancer, the vast majority of people affected by mental disorders remain unrecognized and untreated by the health care system. The large degree of unmet needs of patients with mental disorders represents a global problem. „The vast majority of disorders of the brain remain untreated, particularly in adolescents and young adults", Wittchen said. „Typically, treatment starts late after many years of illness when severe complications are present. But even among those treated rarely appropriate treatment is provided." As an effect of early onset, high prevalence, persistence, associated disability and low treatment rates, the resulting disability is tremendously high.
Health Economic Costs
Mental disorders rank as number one in terms of direct and indirect health economic costs, with a total estimated cost of Euro 294.719 billion. The vast majority of cost is not due to treatment costs, but rather due to indirect costs, which marks the loss of productivity as a consequence of disease (e.g. disability, premature death or retirement). For mental disorders extremely high indirect costs and relatively low direct costs contrast high direct costs typical for somatic disease. For instance, pharmaceutical costs account for only 3% of total costs for mental disorders, whereas for diabetes the rate is 13% and for cardiovascular disease 15%. The outpatient care for mental disorders accounts for only 12% of the total costs.
The Role of Neuropsychopharmacology and ECNP
The brain is undoubtedly the most complex organ of animals and human beings. Modern neuroscience techniques like imaging have been instrumental to understand the complexity of the human brain. The communication among the billions of nerve cells (neurons) in the brain is ensured by extremely complex transmitter systems and mechanisms of various kinds. The field of neuropsychopharmacology is the core field to study these mechanisms and to influence them within the clinical target, amongst others with drugs. This year"s ECNP Congress is the best platform to monitor comprehensively recent developments and breakthrough findings on all levels:
* Basic research
* Clinical research
* Treatment with and without drugs
* Translational issues („from bench to bed and back")
* Research and education
The early onset and high burden of mental disorders - particularly in females - calls for systematic programs to explore the benefits of early intervention and preventive measures. The comprehensive and exciting programme of the ECNP Congress is due to the input from researchers and clinicians of all over the world, and helps defining new areas of research and to single out new therapeutic approaches to improve the lives of the millions of people who suffer from mental disorders.
European College of Neuropsychopharmacology
Conservatively estimated 27% of the adult EU-population has been suffering from at least one mental disorder in the past 12 months, such as depression, specific phobias, somatoform disorders, alcohol- and drug dependence, social phobia, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), bipolar disorder, psychotic disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) or eating disorders. The estimated total number of affected is 82,7 million in any given year.
Over the life span, the majority of the population in the EU will suffer a mental disorder at least once in their lifetime, and there are indications that mental disorders are on the rise. For instance, over the past decades there has been a steep increase in the risk for depression, especially among women. The reasons for this development is up to now poorly understood, but seems to be most likely linked to socioeconomic changes of modern life in industrialized regions.
Unlike to somatic diseases, such as diabetes and cancer, the vast majority of people affected by mental disorders remain unrecognized and untreated by the health care system. The large degree of unmet needs of patients with mental disorders represents a global problem. „The vast majority of disorders of the brain remain untreated, particularly in adolescents and young adults", Wittchen said. „Typically, treatment starts late after many years of illness when severe complications are present. But even among those treated rarely appropriate treatment is provided." As an effect of early onset, high prevalence, persistence, associated disability and low treatment rates, the resulting disability is tremendously high.
Health Economic Costs
Mental disorders rank as number one in terms of direct and indirect health economic costs, with a total estimated cost of Euro 294.719 billion. The vast majority of cost is not due to treatment costs, but rather due to indirect costs, which marks the loss of productivity as a consequence of disease (e.g. disability, premature death or retirement). For mental disorders extremely high indirect costs and relatively low direct costs contrast high direct costs typical for somatic disease. For instance, pharmaceutical costs account for only 3% of total costs for mental disorders, whereas for diabetes the rate is 13% and for cardiovascular disease 15%. The outpatient care for mental disorders accounts for only 12% of the total costs.
The Role of Neuropsychopharmacology and ECNP
The brain is undoubtedly the most complex organ of animals and human beings. Modern neuroscience techniques like imaging have been instrumental to understand the complexity of the human brain. The communication among the billions of nerve cells (neurons) in the brain is ensured by extremely complex transmitter systems and mechanisms of various kinds. The field of neuropsychopharmacology is the core field to study these mechanisms and to influence them within the clinical target, amongst others with drugs. This year"s ECNP Congress is the best platform to monitor comprehensively recent developments and breakthrough findings on all levels:
* Basic research
* Clinical research
* Treatment with and without drugs
* Translational issues („from bench to bed and back")
* Research and education
The early onset and high burden of mental disorders - particularly in females - calls for systematic programs to explore the benefits of early intervention and preventive measures. The comprehensive and exciting programme of the ECNP Congress is due to the input from researchers and clinicians of all over the world, and helps defining new areas of research and to single out new therapeutic approaches to improve the lives of the millions of people who suffer from mental disorders.
European College of Neuropsychopharmacology
Mental Disorder Current Events and Mental Disorder News RSSMental health linked to stillbirth and newborn deaths
Women with a history of serious mental illness are much more likely to have babies that are stillborn or die within the first month of life, new research reveals.
Study links primary insomnia to a neurochemical abnormality in young and middle-aged adults
A study in the Nov. 1 issue of the journal Sleep is the first demonstration of a specific neurochemical abnormality in adults with primary insomnia, providing greater insight to the limited understanding of the condition's pathology.
Getting help for depression and anxiety has significant long-term benefits
According to the Mood Disorder Society of Canada, about 1.3 million Canadians suffer from depression.
Risks and benefits of antipsychotics in children and adolescents
Many of the psychiatric disorders observed in adults have their onset in childhood or adolescence. In fact some studies show that at least 20% of children and adolescents will fulfil a diagnostic criterion for a mental disorder before reaching adulthood.
APA task force recommends dissemination of evidence-based practice
An estimated 15 million American children are diagnosed with a mental disorder, but only about a quarter of them are getting appropriate treatment based on scientific evidence.
The ECNP consensus statement on bipolar depression
Bipolar disorder is one of the most complex and challenging mental disorder in the spectrum. Bipolar disorder is typically associated with considerable acute and longterm treatment needs and may be associated in the course of illness with times of tremendous social burden for both the individual and family.
Innovative program focuses on improved care for children with ADHD
An innovative program is helping busy primary care physicians improve the care they provide for school-aged children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), according to a study led by researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and published in the July edition of Pediatrics.
Are Anxiety Disorders All in the Mind?
Using single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), researchers in The Netherlands were able to detect biochemical differences in the brains of individuals with generalized social anxiety disorder (also known as social phobia), providing evidence of a long-suspected biological cause for the dysfunction.
Mental disorders cost society billions in unearned income
Major mental disorders cost the nation at least $193 billion annually in lost earnings alone, according to a new study funded by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The study was published in the May 2008 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.
Mental disorders in parents linked to autism in children
Parents of children with autism were roughly twice as likely to have been hospitalized for a mental disorder, such as schizophrenia, than parents of other children, according to an analysis of Swedish birth and hospital records by a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researcher and colleagues in the U.S. and Europe.
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