CNN (5/21, Rogers) reports, “Nearly 1.2 billion people worldwide had” a mental illness “in 2023, reflecting a 95.5% increase since 1990, a new study has found.” The data indicated that “the largest increases were in anxiety and depression, which were also the most common disorders in 2023,” while “in third place was a residual category of personality disorders not accompanied by other mental or substance use disorders.” The research “also revealed how trends concerning 12 mental disorders differed by age, sex, location and sociodemographic factors among 204 countries and territories – suggesting ‘that we are entering an even more concerning phase of worsening mental disorder burden globally,’ the authors wrote in the study.” The findings were published in The Lancet. CNN adds, “Many positive and negative factors contribute to the higher rates, experts said.” Dr. Robert Trestman, chair of the American Psychiatric Association’s council on healthcare systems and financing, said, “The stigma of mental illness has been substantially reduced – people are much more comfortable coming forward, as opposed to suffering in silence.”
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— “Nearly 1.2 billion people worldwide are living with mental disorders. The number has been growing,”Kristen Rogers , CNN, May 21, 2026