1. Angelini Pharma
  2. Core areas
  3. Mental Health

Mental Health

Angelini's commitment

The burden of mental health conditions is on the rise globally and major depression, bipolar mood disorder and schizophrenia are among the 10 leading causes of disability worldwide. Mental disorders continue to impose enormous social and economic burden on the community, leading to premature mortality and affecting functioning and quality of life of both patients and their families.

Only in Europe, annually, nearly 40% of the population is diagnosed or report a mental health condition. Therefore, mental healthcare is a priority that requires full multi-stakeholders’ commitment. (Wittchen, H.U., et al. (2011) The size and burden of mental disorders and other disorders of the brain in Europe 2010. European Neuropsychopharmacology: The Journal of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology, 21, 655–679.)

Angelini Pharma, over the past 50 years, has gained international recognition for its substantial efforts to improve the management of patients with mental health conditions and to fight mental health stigma. The company has played a pioneering role in the development of antidepressants and mood stabilisers and has now embraced the challenge to support the design of new paradigms in patient care, from innovative treatments to societal commitment. Indeed, mental health remains a neglected area and Angelini wants to contribute to change this fact not only through drug R&D, but also by supporting high-quality projects such as HEADWAY 2023. This project, undertaken at the end of 2017 in collaboration with the European House–Ambrosetti, aims to design a new roadmap for mental health that will provide a global overview on the mental health context in Europe by focusing on social as well as on economic dimensions. The final objective is to advance today's paradigm of the management and treatment of mental illness so that the social and health-care systems in each country can guarantee adequate and effective care pathways and assistance and, at the same time, promote better quality of life for patients and encourage legitimate social inclusion. This is also expected to have a strong and positive impact on families.

The best way to improve the quality of life of people with mental health disorders and to fight the stigma is to provide accurate information. To this end, Angelini Pharma has launched HarmoniaMentis.com, a new website focused on mental health. 

Mental health Key Facts

Mental disorders on the rise in Europe

Mental disorders, the core health challenge of the 21st century

  • Mental Disorders1

    Ico Contenuto 1

    Every year, almost 4 people of 10 (38.2%) of the total EU population suffer from at least one of mental disorders.

    This corresponds to an estimated
    164.7 million persons

  • Distribution

    Ico Contenuto 2

    Mental health problems cut across age, gender and countries1.

    • Relatively high frequencies of common mental disorders, mostly non-psychotic depression and anxiety, are associated with poor education, material disadvantage and unemployment.2
    • People of lower socio-economic status experience more common mental disorders.2

  • Impact on individuals affected and on society1

    Ico Contenuto 3

    Mental disorders have a large impact on individuals affected and on society and the burden can be subdivided in 4 major areas:

    • Loss of quality of life QoL
    • Associated stigma
    • Unemployment
    • Direct and indirect costs

The burden of mental disorders in the European Union

  • Most common types of mental disorders4

    Ico Contenuto 4
    • Anxiety disorders (14%)
    • Mood disorders (7.8%), dominated by major depression (6.9%)
    • Somatoform disorders (6.3%)
    • Alcohol dependence (3.4%) and opioid and cannabis dependence
    • Psychotic (1.2%) and eating disorders

  • Gender differences1,4

    Ico Contenuto 5
    • There are clear gender differences in the type of mental disorders affecting females versus males.
    • Women were disproportionately affected by depression, twice as prevalent than in men.
    • For men alcohol use disorders are the biggest relative contributor to the disease burden in Europe.

  • Distribution by age2,3,4

    Ico Contenuto 6
    • Mental disorders often start at a relatively young age
    • Mental health problems are common among older people
    • Generalized Anxiety Disorder has the highest prevalence among those aged ≥65
    • Dementia affects 5% of people over 65 on average, and 20% of those over 80

References

  1. Halverson JL, Bhalla RN, Moraille-Bhalla P, Andrew LB, Leonard RC. Depression. Available online
  2. National Institute of Mental Health. Depression. 2018. Available online
  3. Wittchen HU, Jacobi F, Rehm J, Gustavsson A, Svensson M, Jönsson B, Olesen J, et al. The size of burden of mental disorders and other disorders of the brain in Europe 2010. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2011;21(9):655-679
Back to top

Depression

  • Definition2

    Ico Contenuto 7
    • Depression (major depressive disorder) is a common but serious mood disorder.
    • It causes severe symptoms that affect how a person feels, thinks, and handles daily activities, such as sleeping, eating, or working.

References

  1. 1 - Halverson JL, Bhalla RN, Moraille-Bhalla P, Andrew LB, Leonard RC. Depression. Available online
  2. 2 - National Institute of Mental Health. Depression. 2018. Available online
  3. 3 - Wittchen HU, Jacobi F, Rehm J, Gustavsson A, Svensson M, Jönsson B, Olesen J, et al. The size of burden of mental disorders and other disorders of the brain in Europe 2010. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2011;21(9):655-679
Back to top