Screening tools typically show greater prevalence of major depressive disorder than do structured interviews
The share of those reporting a diagnosis of a mental health condition is much lower than the share identified as experiencing psychological distress by screening tools
The majority of OECD countries report measuring population mental health in both health and general social surveys
Many OECD countries collect mental health data infrequently, with over half reporting four-to-ten-year lags between survey rounds
All OECD countries reported collecting data on mental ill-health and positive mental health, with the latter mostly focused on life evaluation
Screening tools and questions about experience of symptoms and disorders are the most common mental ill-health tools reported by countries
Screening tools capturing general psychological distress and symptoms of depression are more commonly used than those for symptoms of anxiety or other disorders
Countries do capture anxiety data, but often with non-standardised measures
Affect data are more commonly collected than eudaimonic data, but OECD countries are not aligned in the tools used to collect data on positive mental health beyond life satisfaction
Non-response rates are higher for mental health questions than they are for other variables, and vary substantially across countries
Young people, men and those with lower levels of education are less likely to respond to mental health questions
Prevalence of psychological distress and depressive symptoms risk varies by as much as 100 percent across European OECD countries
Are differences in reported outcomes by gender and race/ethnicity due to differences in underlying mental health or to measurement issues?
Symptoms of depression rose substantially in eight European OECD countries in the first year of the pandemic
Until 2019, mental health improved somewhat in European OECD countries, and remained roughly stable in the United States, despite greater mental health awareness
Shifts from in-person to telephone-administered surveys are associated with deteriorations in negative affect balance