Burden of Mental and Behavioral Disorders in Colombia, 2022: A Subnational Analysis Based on Disability-Adjusted Life Years

Mental disorders encompass conditions that affect cognition, emotions, and behavior, representing a major public health challenge. In Colombia, there are no studies that estimate the burden of disease caused by mental and behavioral disorders. This study aimed to determine the burden of disease attributable to these conditions in the departments of Colombia in 2022. A burden of disease analysis was conducted using official national data sources, including the Individual Health Service Delivery Records and death certificates from the Vital Statistics System, consolidated by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection within the Integrated Social Protection Information System. Estimation methods followed the World Health Organization's Global Health Estimates framework. Disability-Adjusted Life Years were used as the summary measure, integrating mortality and non-fatal outcomes to quantify the overall population impact. A total of 296,010.6 Disability-Adjusted Life Years were estimated (95% UI: 279,343.2-312,678), representing a rate of 572.7 (95% UI: 540.5-605) per 100,000 population. Anxiety accounted for 47.26%. Women represented 60.86% of the total burden, with 180,157.6 (95% UI: 165,046.3-195,268.9). Overall, 99.27% of the burden from mental and behavioral disorders was due to Years Lived with Disability, underscoring the substantial impact on quality of life, particularly among women.