DCP3: Mental, Neurological, and Substance Use Disorders

This report from the World Bank is the fourth volume of the Disease Control Priorities, third edition (DCP3) series. It discusses the prevalence of mental, neurological, and substance use disorders, as well as the associated disability and premature mortality that can accompany them. Despite the high social and economic burden of these diseases on individuals, families, and communities, these disorders have been systematically neglected, especially in low- and middle-income countries, and there has been limited scale-up of cost-effective prevention and treatment strategies. This report seeks to systematically compile the substantial existing knowledge to address this inequity with the aim of helping policy makers prioritize treatment programs and interventions in resource-constrained settings.

The Disease Control Priorities Network (DCP) promotes and supports the use of economic evaluation for priority setting at both global and national levels, providing the most up-to-date evidence on intervention efficacy and program effectiveness for the leading causes of global disease burden. DCP3 presents its findings in nine individual volumes; the first eight focus on conceptually related health challenges—essential surgery, maternal/child health, cancer, mental and neurological disorders, cardiovascular and respiratory disorders, major infectious diseases, injury prevention, and child and adolescent development—and each package addresses the disease burden, interventions, policies, and economics of that cluster of health issues. The ninth volume provides an overview with main findings and conclusions about achieving health priorities. DCP3 chapters, background papers, articles, reports, briefs, and related resources are publicly accessible.