Extent of the Problem of Mental Disorders

INTELLIGENT planning for an integrated public health attack on mental disorders demands adequate epidemiological information. A variety of facts is needed. What is the extent of the problem-that is, how many are affected? What are the characteristics of the mentally ill as a group and as compared to the rest of the population with respect to such factors as age, sex, race, and occupation? How does mental illness develop in the individual and what factors explain its distribution in the population? What are the psychological, physiological, and socioeconomic factors that may be related to cause and course of the illness?