PRESS RELEASE: Disease Control Priorities, 3rd Edition Releases Fourth Volume: Mental, Neurological, and Substance Use Disorders

PRESS RELEASE

For immediate release: April 11, 2016

Contact: info@dcp-3.org

 

SAN FRANCISCO, California – Mental, neurological, and substance use (MNS) disorders now account for nearly 1 in 10 years of lost health globally. Despite the substantial impact these illnesses can have on the health, social, and economic wellbeing of individuals, families, and societies, MNS disorders have been widely neglected, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Volume 4 of Disease Control Priorities, 3rd Edition (DCP3) serves to address the inequalities in prevention and treatment of MNS disorders by governments and development agencies around the world, by providing evidence on policies and interventions that should be prioritized in resource-constrained settings. As Dr. Vikram Patel, lead volume editor and Professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, explains, “the evidence on the burden of these disorders and the health and economic impacts of a range of scalable interventions to address them is compelling.  It is now the time to act to tackle what may be the most neglected group of health conditions globally.” The over 50 editors and authors have organized MNS disorders into five groups within the volume: adult mental disorders, child mental and developmental disorders, neurological disorders, alcohol and illicit drug use disorders, and suicide and self-harm.   READ MORE