Only 9 percent of sufferers receive adequate care, even in wealthy nations.
En tres décadas, el número de personas que viven con trastornos mentales en el mundo se ha más que duplicado, alcanzando los 1.170 millones en 2023, según un estudio publicado en The Lancet. Lo que antes ocupaba el duodécimo lugar entre las causas de discapacidad global ocupa hoy el primero, con la ansiedad superando a la depresión y los adolescentes cargando con el peso más severo. Este giro no es solo estadístico: revela una transformación profunda en la manera en que el sufrimiento humano se manifiesta en el mundo contemporáneo, y plantea preguntas urgentes sobre qué tipo de sociedades estamos construyendo para las generaciones más jóvenes.
- Los trastornos mentales han pasado de afectar a 559 millones de personas en 1990 a 1.170 millones en 2023, convirtiéndose en la principal causa de discapacidad en el mundo.
- Los adolescentes de entre 15 y 19 años son el grupo más afectado, lo que convierte una etapa formativa e irreversible de la vida en el epicentro de la crisis.
- Solo el 9% de quienes padecen depresión o ansiedad reciben atención mínimamente adecuada, y en países de renta baja esa cifra cae por debajo del 5%.
- Expertos como Elisabet Domínguez y María Cantero-García advierten que más médicos y medicamentos no bastarán: hacen falta cambios sistémicos que aborden la desigualdad, la violencia y el aislamiento social.
- La respuesta que diseñen las sociedades en los próximos años —con prevención temprana, atención escalonada y enfoque de género— determinará si esta tendencia se frena o continúa escalando.
Un estudio publicado en The Lancet, basado en datos de 75 países dentro del programa Global Burden of Disease, documenta una transformación sin precedentes en la salud mental mundial: los trastornos mentales han pasado de afectar a 559 millones de personas en 1990 a 1.170 millones en 2023. Lo que en 1990 era la duodécima causa de discapacidad global es hoy la primera.
Los patrones no son uniformes. Las mujeres presentan tasas más altas de ansiedad y depresión, mientras que los trastornos del neurodesarrollo como el TDAH o el autismo son más frecuentes en hombres. Pero el hallazgo más llamativo es generacional: la mayor carga recae sobre los jóvenes de entre 15 y 19 años. La ansiedad ha superado a la depresión como condición más prevalente, aunque ambas siguen siendo las que mayor impacto global generan. En 2023, los trastornos mentales representaron 171 millones de años de vida ajustados por discapacidad —los llamados DALYs—, aproximadamente el 6% del total mundial.
La brecha más inquietante, sin embargo, no está en el diagnóstico sino en el tratamiento. Solo el 9% de quienes padecen depresión o ansiedad reciben atención mínimamente adecuada; en países de renta baja, esa cifra no llega al 5%. Jorge Aguado, psicólogo clínico del Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, subraya la necesidad de intervención temprana. Juan Ramón Barrada, de la Universidad de Zaragoza, señala que los aumentos se concentran en ansiedad, depresión, trastornos de la conducta alimentaria y autismo.
Elisabet Domínguez, del Hospital de Sant Pau, advierte que la brecha terapéutica persiste incluso en países con sistemas sanitarios avanzados, lo que demuestra que el problema no puede resolverse solo con más recursos clínicos. Es necesario actuar sobre los determinantes sociales: la violencia, la desigualdad, el aislamiento. María Cantero-García, profesora de psicología en la UDIMA, reclama respuestas adaptadas al género y la edad, con prevención en las escuelas, cribado en atención primaria y atención escalonada en entornos comunitarios. La crisis crece y es desigual. Lo que decidan hacer las sociedades en los próximos años marcará si esta curva empieza, por fin, a doblarse.
A study published in The Lancet this year documents a stark transformation in global mental health: the number of people living with mental health disorders has more than doubled in three decades, climbing from 559 million in 1990 to 1.17 billion by 2023. The research, which drew on data from 75 countries and sits within the Global Burden of Disease program, reveals not just a larger population of sufferers, but a fundamental shift in what disables people worldwide. Mental health disorders now rank as the leading cause of disability globally—a position they did not hold in 1990, when they ranked twelfth.
The patterns within this crisis are not uniform. Women report higher rates of anxiety and depression, while neurodevelopmental and behavioral disorders—ADHD, autism—appear more frequently in men. But the most striking finding concerns age: the heaviest burden falls on adolescents and young adults between 15 and 19 years old. This concentration in youth underscores what researchers describe as an urgent need for early prevention and targeted support during a formative period of life.
Anxiety has now surpassed depression as the most prevalent condition, though depression remains among the two disorders accounting for the largest share of overall impact. Schizophrenia stands out for its severity. When researchers measure the total weight of these conditions using a metric called DALYs—disability-adjusted life years, which combines time lived in poor health with years lost to premature death—the numbers are sobering. In 2023, mental health disorders accounted for 171 million DALYs, representing roughly 6 percent of all disability-adjusted life years globally. That figure has climbed steadily since 1990.
Yet the most troubling gap lies not in diagnosis but in treatment. Only about 9 percent of people with depression or anxiety receive minimally adequate care. In low-income countries, that figure drops below 5 percent. This treatment chasm persists even in nations with advanced healthcare systems, suggesting the problem cannot be solved through clinical resources alone. Jorge Aguado, a clinical psychologist at Hospital Clínic in Barcelona, notes that the findings underscore the necessity of early intervention. Juan Ramón Barrada, a psychologist at the University of Zaragoza, points out that the increases are not uniform across all disorders—they concentrate in anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and autism.
Elisabet Domínguez, a psychologist and pharmacology researcher at Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona, emphasizes that the treatment gap remains enormous despite the evidence. She argues that systemic change is required: addressing social determinants like violence, inequality, and social isolation. The fact that even wealthy countries have failed to reduce the burden suggests that more clinicians and medications alone will not solve this. María Cantero-García, a psychology professor at UDIMA, frames the study as a clear call to action. She argues for responses tailored to gender and age, with early prevention in schools, screening in primary care, and stepped care in community settings. The crisis is growing and unequal. How societies respond in the coming years will determine whether this trajectory continues or begins to bend.
Notable Quotes
The burden is very high, and the findings underscore the importance of prevention and early intervention.— Jorge Aguado, clinical psychologist, Hospital Clínic Barcelona
The problem is not resolved by clinical resources alone; systemic changes addressing social determinants like violence, inequality, and isolation are essential.— Elisabet Domínguez, psychologist and researcher, Hospital de Sant Pau Barcelona
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why has the number of diagnosed cases more than doubled in just three decades? Are people actually sicker, or are we simply better at recognizing illness?
Both are true, but the question itself matters. Better screening and reduced stigma mean more people seek help and receive a diagnosis. But the research suggests real increases in incidence, not just detection. The concentration in adolescents and young adults points to something structural changing in how young people experience the world.
The study says anxiety has now surpassed depression. What does that shift tell us?
It suggests a particular kind of suffering is becoming more common—the experience of dread, anticipation of harm, inability to settle. Whether that reflects actual social conditions or changing patterns in how distress manifests, we can't say from the data alone. But it's worth asking what's happening in the world that makes anxiety the dominant form of mental struggle.
Only 9 percent of people with depression or anxiety get adequate treatment. That's staggering. Why such a massive gap?
Resources are part of it, but not the whole story. Even rich countries with plenty of therapists and medications haven't closed the gap. That suggests the problem is structural—access, stigma, the way healthcare is organized, whether people even know help exists. In low-income countries, it's often all of those at once.
The peak burden is at ages 15 to 19. Why that window specifically?
Adolescence is when many conditions first emerge—depression, anxiety, eating disorders, psychosis. It's also a period of enormous social pressure, identity formation, and neurological change. The brain is still developing. If we could intervene early, before patterns solidify, the research suggests we could prevent years of suffering downstream.
What would actually change the numbers?
The researchers point to prevention in schools, early screening in primary care, and addressing the social roots—violence, inequality, isolation. But that requires seeing mental health as a social issue, not just a clinical one. It means changing how we structure adolescence, how we build communities, not just training more psychiatrists.