这篇论文是对第二份《世界幸福报告》的贡献。它提出了五个主要观点。1.心理健康是生活满意度最大的单一预测指标。英国、德国和澳大利亚的情况也是如此，即使心理健康也要滞后6年。它比身体健康更能解释一个国家人口生活满意度的差异，也比失业和收入更能解释生活满意度的差异。收入只能解释1%或更少的生活满意度差异。2.最常见的精神疾病是抑郁症和焦虑症。严格的定义是，这些疾病影响了世界上大约10%的人口，富国和穷国的患病率相似。 3. Depression and anxiety are more common during working age than in later life. They account for a high proportion of disability and impose major economic costs and financial losses to governments worldwide. 4. Yet even in rich countries, under a third of people with diagnosable mental illness are in treatment. 5. Cost-effective treatments exist, with recovery rates of 50% or more. In rich countries treatment is likely to have no net cost to the Exchequer due to savings on welfare benefits and lost taxes. But even in poor countries a reasonable level of coverage could be obtained at a cost of under $2 per head of population per year.