What percentage of deaths per year are attributed to mental disorders?

• A. More than 5%
• B. More than 25%
• C. More than 14%
• D. Less than 1%

Answer: (C)

The key idea is that mental disorders have a substantial impact on mortality, not only through direct deaths like suicide but also by worsening overall health and increasing risk for other deadly conditions. When populations are looked at comprehensively, the influence of mental health on the yearly death toll is significant enough to fall into the low-to-mid teens percentage range. Among the given choices, a figure above 14% best matches that broad, population-level impact—it’s clearly more than a tiny fraction of deaths, but not so high as to imply that most deaths are from mental disorders. Keep in mind that exact numbers vary by region and data source, and much of the mental health burden shows up in disability rather than death, yet the mortality share can still be around or above 14% in global estimates.