The 'global brain' is under tremendous pressure from issues across the lifespan (Winter et al., 2022). Impaired social and emotional development in early childhood, education loss due to COVID-induced school disruptions, the negative effects of social media on youth, long COVID brain effects, and rising rates of dementia are placing strain on the health of the 'global brain.' Brain health is a critical aspect of human well-being, affecting cognitive abilities, socioemotional stability, and overall quality of life (World Health Organization, 2022). However, the growing prevalence of brain disorders is taking a steep economic toll. Mental health disorders alone are estimated to cost the global economy $5 trillion per year, and this is projected to rise to $16 trillion by 2030 (Arias et al., 2022; Bloom et al., 2011). Similarly, every year, dementia costs the global economy more than $1.3 trillion, a value that is set to increase to $2.8 trillion by 2030 (World Health Organization, 2023b).
Authors
Harris A. Eyre, Elena Stotts-Lee, Sara Ronco, Rym Ayadi, Carol Graham
- Acknowledgements and disclosures
- Harris A. Eyre is a contractor with Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute. The author did not receive financial support from any firm or person for this article or, other than the aforementioned, from any firm or person with a financial or political interest in this article. The author is not currently an officer, director, or board member of any organization with a financial or political interest in this article.The Brookings Institution is financed through the support of a diverse array of foundations, corporations, governments, individuals, as well as an endowment. A list of donors can be found in our annual reports published online here. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions in this report are solely those of its author(s) and are not influenced by any donation.
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