How Common Are Mental Disorders in Europe?

A study in European Neuropsychopharmacology covering 30 European countries found that more than 38 percent of Europeans suffered from at least one mental disorder in 2010 — that's about 165 million people. Among the conditions considered were anxiety, alcoholism, specific phobias and bipolar disorder. Thirty million people alone suffered from depression, which was the most commonly suffered condition.

More facts about mental disorders:

• The most commonly suffered conditions after depression were specific phobias, such as a fear of heights, with more than 20 million sufferers; somatoform disorders, such as hypochondria, with about 20 million sufferers; and alcohol dependence, with a little less than 15 million sufferers.


• The least common conditions were eating disorders and drug dependence, each with about 2 million sufferers. By contrast, agoraphobia and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) had 6-8 million sufferers each.


• Fins appear to be the happiest in Europe, with more than 80 percent of Fins saying that they feel calm and peaceful almost all of the time. By contrast, 42 percent of Italians reported feeling the same way — one of the lowest percentages in Europe.