Common mental disorders, economic growth and development

A largenumber of studies have attempted to discern the causes of low productivity and slow growth in the developing countriesespecially in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).The effects of global economic integration, corruption, geography, financial aid and human capital indicators such as education have been widely explored. Despite the significant contribution of common mental disorders (CMDs) to poverty and to the burden of disease, mainstream growth analyses have not yet integrated the body of scholarship that identifies the linkages between CMDs and growth. This paper explores the theoretical and empirical macro-growth effects of CMDs in sub-Saharan Africa. It further explores the performance of a non-psychometric instrument known as the K-6 as a cost-effective instrument with which to measure community mental health in household surveys across populations that have various levels of infrastructure and literacy.Preliminary theorizing and evidence suggest that improvement in CMDs is likely to be a stimulus to growth in SSA. The interviewer administered K-6 instrument has also proven itself to be robust for use in non-psychometric or general household mental health studies.