Mental ill health affects more than one in five people across OECD and EU countries, making it one of the most pressing public health and economic challenges of our time. Anxiety and depressive disorders are particularly prevalent among young people, women and individuals with lower socio-economic status.
The consequences extend well beyond the health system. Across the EU, major depressive, anxiety and alcohol use disorders are projected to reduce healthy life expectancy by 2.5 years between 2025 and 2050, accounting for around 6% of total health expenditure, and generating an estimated annual GDP loss of 1.7%.
This report examines how targeted, scalable interventions in primary healthcare, schools and workplaces can help close the significant treatment gap, improve quality of life, reduce healthcare costs and boost productivity — often at a net benefit to society.
