Mental health spillovers and the Millennium Development Goals: The case of perinatal depression in Khayelitsha, South Africa

Abstract

Mental illness currently ranks among the top ten causes of burden of disease in low-income countries. In the African region specifically, neuropsychiatric disorders account for approximately 5% of disability-adjusted life years lost, with nearly one-quarter of this burden attributable to unipolar depressive disorders.

Keywords

• Mental health
• Millennium Development Goals
• perinatal depression
• low-income countries