Ronald Kessler, professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School, speaks about “How many people are mentally ill in America? A review of the controversy,” Oct. 1 at the School of Social Work (SSW). He has been associated with the Survey Research Center at the Institute for Social Research (ISR) and the Department of Sociology.

Kessler directs a collaboration of the Harvard Medical School and World Health Organization to coordinate international comparative epidemiological studies of the prevalence of psychiatric disorders. He and other collaborators will use surveys in 20 countries to determine the psychosocial risk factors and societal costs of mental disorders. The results will aid governments in allocating health care resources to mental disorders.

Kessler said major depressive disorders are common among all populations, but research indicates inadequate treatment remains a cause for concern.

The event was co-sponsored by ISR, the SSW, and the National Institutes of Mental Health Research Center on Poverty Risk and Mental Illness.