A large new study has found that 38 percent of Europeans, or almost 165 million people, suffer each year from a brain disorder such as depression, anxiety, or dementia. A three-year study covering the entire EU plus three countries – and about 100 illnesses including addiction and schizophrenia – determined that only one-third of people received the treatment they needed. Mental illnesses thus cause a huge economic and social burden, Reuters reported. "Mental disorders have become Europe's largest health challenge of the 21st century,” the study’s authors said. The last major European study of brain disorders, in 2005, found that 27 percent of Europeans had mental illnesses, though it studied far fewer people.
