Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 11, 2026
Measuring the Functional Abilities of Children Aged 3-6 Years Old with Observational Methods and Computer Tools
Published on: June 20, 2020
Global burden of mental disorders among children aged 5-14 years
Marie Laure Baranne1, Bruno Falissard1
1CESP, INSERM U1018, Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Sud, UVSQ, APHP, Paris, France.
Insights
Mental disorders significantly impact children
Area of Science:
- Global Health
- Pediatric Mental Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study tracks worldwide health outcomes.
- Mental health is a critical component of overall well-being.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the burden of mental disorders in children aged 5-14 years across WHO regions.
- To highlight the public health significance of pediatric mental health.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the GBD 2015 study.
- Employed disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) as the primary metric.
- DALYs comprise years of life lost (YLLs) and years lived with disability (YLDs).
Main Results:
- Mental disorders are a leading cause of disability (YLDs) and DALYs in Europe and the Americas.
- In Africa, while infectious diseases dominate YLLs, mental disorders contribute significantly to YLDs.
- An epidemiological transition suggests a global rise in mental health issues among youth.
Conclusions:
- Findings underscore the growing importance of child and adolescent mental health.
- Policy-makers can use this data to develop targeted health strategies.
- Addressing pediatric mental health needs is crucial for future public health.
Background:
The global burden of disease (GBD) study provides information about fatal and non-fatal health outcomes around the world.
Methods:
The objective of this work is to describe the burden of mental disorders among children aged 5-14 years in each of the six regions of the World Health Organisation. Data come from the GBD 2015 study. Outcomes: disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) are the main indicator of GBD studies and are built from years of life lost (YLLs) and years of life lived with disability (YLDs).
Results:
Mental disorders are among the leading causes of YLDs and of DALYs in Europe and the Americas. Because of the importance of infectious diseases, mental disorders appear marginal in Africa for YLLs although they play an important role in YLDs there. Because the epidemiological transition that has taken place in Europe and the Americas (i.e., a switch from acute and infectious conditions to chronic and mental health issues) is likely to happen sooner or later across the entire planet, mental health problems in youth are likely to become one of the main public health challenges of the twenty-first century.
Conclusion:
These results should improve health care if policy-makers use them to develop health policies to meet the real needs of populations (especially children) today.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)
01:50Global Climate Change
01:30Stress and Mental Health
Individuals with depression often experience challenges in both their personal and professional...
01:045-Number Summary
In a box plot, the minimum and maximum data values represent the lower and upper whiskers in the graph, and the median is designated as the center of the box in the chart. The first quartile and third...
01:10Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language
Language formation and comprehension take place in the dominant hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere is responsible for understanding the meaning of spoken, written, or sign language, as well as the ability to communicate. For most people, the left hemisphere is the dominant one. The right hemisphere, then, gives tone and emotional context to the...
01:26Aging
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...