Common mental disorders are leading contributors to the global burden of disease and the economic cost due to ill health and loss of productivity, which is estimated at US$ 16.3 trillion globally. The Eastern Mediterranean is a diverse Region comprising high-income countries on the one hand, and low- and middle-income countries stifled with wars and instability on the other. The Region is also home to one of the largest refugee populations in the world.
Mental and substance use disorders are the main causes of non-fatal burden of disease in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. This burden is greater than the global average in almost all countries of this region and it is expected to rise.
A team from the Kansas University Medical Center, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Pakistan Human Development Research Foundation, Texas A&M University, University of Liverpool, and WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of primary studies within the Eastern Mediterranean Region aimed at synthesizing the prevalence of specific common mental disorders. This systematic review revealed that depressive disorders had the highest prevalence (14.8%,), followed by post-traumatic stress disorders (7.8%), generalized anxiety disorders (7.5%), and substance use disorders (4.1%). This meta-analysis has shown that the prevalence of common mental disorders in the Eastern Mediterranean Region is higher than the global rates and highlights the need for increasing investment to scale up mental health services for effective treatment coverage in the Region.