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. 2023 Sep 29;48(6):1-8.
doi: 10.1192/bjb.2023.76. Online ahead of print.

Burden of mental disorders by gender in Pakistan: analysis of Global Burden of Disease Study data for 1990-2019

Mohsin Hassan Alvi  1 , Tehmina Ashraf  1 , Farah Naz  1 , Asif Sardar  1 , Akbar Ullah  2 , Anita Patel  3 , Tayyeba Kiran  1 , Anil Gumber  4 , Nusrat Husain  2
Affiliations

Burden of mental disorders by gender in Pakistan: analysis of Global Burden of Disease Study data for 1990-2019

Mohsin Hassan Alvi et al. BJPsych Bull. .

Abstract

Aims and method: We aimed to examine the burden of mental disorders in Pakistan over the past three decades. We used the crude data of disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) obtained from the Global Burden of Disease Study database (1990-2019) to represent burden. Data were retrieved on 26 January 2021. Data for adults of reproductive age (aged 15-49 years) were analysed to discuss and interpret the disease burden. An analysis was conducted on total DALYs separately for the genders for ten mental disorders reported in Pakistan.

Results: DALYs increased drastically with the onset of reproductive age. Depressive disorder was the most reported mental disorder, contributing 3.13% (95% CI 2.25-4.24) of total DALYs, and varied significantly between genders: females 3.89% (95% CI 2.73-5.29) versus males 2.37% (95% CI 1.62-3.25).

Clinical implications: A nationwide high-quality epidemiological surveillance system should be implemented to monitor mental disorders and offer culturally appropriate preventive services.

Keywords: Burden; Pakistan; gender; mental disorder; reproductive age.

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Conflict of interest statement

None.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Data extraction flowchart. IHME, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation; GBD 2019, Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries and Risk Factors Study 2019; DALYs, disability-adjusted life-years.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Age distribution of the population suffering with mental disorder in Pakistan, 2019.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Comparison of disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) by gender in Pakistan for 1990 and 2019.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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