Counting the cost: estimating the burden of child mental health.

The publication of the first report from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study (Murray & Lopez, 1996) radically changed evaluations of the public health significance of mental disorders. Before that time, diseases were typically ranked in terms of their impact on premature mortality. The GBD Study added estimates of impact on disability, and in so doing highlighted the huge public health burden attendant on poor mental health.