NPrep
Start practising
UP NHM CHO 7 Sept 2022 (Shift-2)
Mental Health Nursing
Easy

Maximum loss of Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALY) occurs in which mental illness?

Appeared in: UP NHM CHO 7 Sept 2022 (Shift-2)

Explanation

  • Depression (unipolar depressive disorders) is the leading cause of disability worldwide according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
  • Its high contribution to DALYs is driven by its high prevalence, chronicity, and significant impact on an individual's ability to function in daily life.
  • Data from the 2019 Global Burden of Disease study shows that depressive disorders account for 29.2% of all DALYs from mental and substance use disorders, the highest of any category.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

  • Option A: Schizophrenia has a much lower global prevalence than depression. Although it is a severely disabling illness for the individual, its overall impact on the population (total DALYs) is less.
  • Option B: Alcohol use disorders contribute significantly to the global disease burden, but they rank below depressive disorders in terms of total DALYs from mental and substance use disorders (10.6% vs 29.2%).
  • Option D: Bipolar disorder has a lower prevalence than unipolar depression. Therefore, despite causing severe disability, its contribution to the total global DALYs is smaller (5.3%).

Related Visual

Visual explanation — Related Visual
Clinical Relevance
  • Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Global burden of disease of mental illnesses and Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALY) as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
  • The massive disability burden of depression underscores the critical need for routine screening in primary care settings, as many cases go undiagnosed and untreated.
  • Nurses are on the front line of patient interaction and can play a key role in identifying early signs of depression and facilitating access to care.
  • Understanding that depression is the leading cause of disability helps in advocating for mental health resources and public health policies aimed at prevention and treatment.
How to Approach the Question
  • First, identify the key term in the question: 'Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALY)'.
  • Recall the definition of DALY: a measure of overall disease burden, combining years of life lost due to premature mortality (YLLs) and years lived with disability (YLDs).
  • Consider the options provided: Schizophrenia, Alcohol dependence, Depression, and Bipolar disorder.
  • Compare the options based on your knowledge of their global impact. Think about which condition is most common (highest prevalence) and also causes significant disability.
  • Depression is widely known for its high prevalence worldwide. While all listed conditions are disabling, the sheer number of people affected by depression makes it the most likely cause of the 'maximum loss' of DALYs on a population level.
  • Select the option that represents the highest combination of prevalence and disability.
Concept Tested & Keywords
  • Concept Tested: Global burden of disease of mental illnesses and Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALY).
  • Stem keywords: Disability-Adjusted Life Years, DALY, mental illness, maximum loss
  • Lead-in keywords: which

Question ID

QicLm4wY1bcZ2-t9N48Mkj

Reference Book

E6 Kaplan Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry-2022 (pp 1-3768 of 3768) p. 2765-2767

E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) p. 2896-2898

Practise the full UP NHM CHO 7 Sept 2022 (Shift-2)

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.

Attempt this paperAttempt in the NPrep app

More UP NHM CHO 7 Sept 2022 (Shift-2) Questions