Mental health conditions in Mexico: Diagnosis trends based on hospital records.

OBJECTIVE

Analyze spatiotemporal trends in mental disorder diagnoses in Mexico between 2019 and 2023.

DESIGN

An ecological study was conducted based on records of mental disorder diagnoses in the population aged ≥21 years with social security coverage. SITE: Mexico, based on data from the National Open Data Platform on primary care units of the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS).

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 12,561,531 records obtained from diagnoses of mental disorders in the population aged ≥21 years with social security coverage during the period 2019-2023.

INTERVENTIONS: Rates were estimated, adjusted for sex and age. Spatio-temporal trends were evaluated using Moran's I index.

MAIN MEASURES: Classification of mental disorder, sex, age, entity, year.

RESULTS

At the national level, the mental disorder rate rose from 2419 per 100,000 population in 2019 to 7192 in 2023. Anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders, substance use disorders, and depressive episodes were the main diagnosis in both sexes. The data show a growing trend in mental disorders of various etiologies, in addition to depression and anxiety, which are treated by healthcare services. These disorders exhibited regional and gender-based variations during the study period.

CONCLUSIONS

It is recommended to expand health service coverage to strengthen the detection and diagnosis of mental disorder, reinforce primary care in regions at greatest risk, and incorporate prevention strategies for disorders that may increase in magnitude (dementias, Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, and delusional disorders).