Answer to Question 1
Answer: The Global Burden of Disease Study evaluated and compared the impact of more than 100 forms of disease and injury throughout the world. The study revealed that mental disorders are responsible for only 1 percent of all deaths, and produce 47 percent of all disability in economically developed countries, such as the United States, and 28 percent of all disabilities worldwide. The combined index reveals that, as a combined category, mental disorders are the second leading source of disease burden in developed countries. Investigators in the WHO study predict that, relative to other types of health problems, the burden of mental disorders will increase by the year 2020. These results indicate that mental disorders are one of the world's greatest health challenges.
Answer to Question 2
Answer: Disease burden is a combination of measures of mortality and disability. By equating certain medical diseases and injuries with specific mental disorders, epidemiologists estimate the disease burden due to various conditions. Their results indicate that the top three conditions in terms of disease burden are all cardiovascular conditions; all mental disorders, including suicide; and all malignant disease (cancer). The specific mental disorder that accounts for the greatest disease burden is unipolar major depression.