1. Overview
2. A large and neglected problem
3. Effective treatments
4. Mental health vs other life-improving interventions
5. Mental health interventions vs life-saving charities
6. Should you prioritise mental health?

Author: Michael Plant​

Overview
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Few people consider mental health to be one of the world’s most pressing problems. However, on closer examination, there is a strong case it should be as high a priority as global poverty. Given the variety of options for improving mental health, and the lack of prioritization research on the topic, it seems likely we’ll find even better ways to make progress on this problem in the near future.

Key points

• Not only does mental illness seem to cause as much, if not more, total worldwide unhappiness than global poverty, it also seems far more neglected.
• Effective mental health interventions exist. They have been improving over time and we can expect further improvements.
• We estimate that StrongMinds, a mental health charity, is (at least) four times more effective per dollar than GiveDirectly, one of the top charities recommended by GiveWell, based on increases in self-reported life satisfaction.
• It is unclear if StrongMinds is better than other life-improving charities recommended by GiveWell due to inconsistent evidence regarding negative spillover effects from wealth increases.
• It is unclear if StrongMinds is better than other life-saving charities recommended by GiveWell due to methodological issues about where on a 0-10 life satisfaction scale is the ‘neutral point’ equivalent to being dead.
• While mental health has the most obvious appeal for those who believe we ought to be maximising the happiness of people alive today, that belief is not necessary to conclude it is of the highest priority. The following series of articles sets out some considerations for and against prioritising this (and related) areas.

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A large and neglected problem