Mental disorders are commonly occurring, seriously impairing, and widely under-treated both in developed countries like the US and in developing countries. These disorders strain formal and informal care systems, reduce human capital, and otherwise impede development. We seek to address these burdens by obtaining better information on the prevalence and correlates of mental illness, the distribution of burden imposed by mental and other illness, and on effective and efficient mental health interventions. Our research is based on an unprecedented dataset, the WMH Surveys, which include representative general population data obtained in over two dozen countries in all regions of the world using a state-of-the-art diagnostic interview to assess the prevalence and correlates of mental disorders in a total sample consisting of nearly a quarter of a million respondents.

The objectives of this project are to carry out literature reviews and analyses of the WMH survey data to:

* Update evidence on the burden of mental illness and other disease

* Identify major areas of unmet need for mental health care, along with individual and environmental correlates of mental illness and mental health treatment

* Identify potential "leverage points" for reducing unmet need and mental health burden in different settings and populations

* Develop a potential strategic agenda for research on treatments, delivery strategies, outreach methods, policy planning and implementation, financing and human resource development aimed at reducing unmet needs for mental health treatment, particularly in economically disadvantaged areas and population groups and in rural and other areas with currently weak/underdeveloped mental health infrastructure.