Vincent Willem van Gogh (1853-1890) The gifted Dutch Post-Impressionist artist, Vincent van Gogh, had his life shattered by mental illness. Our mission is to prevent such needless suffering.

Mental Illness Ranks Second In Terms of Causing Disability

"The burden of mental illness on health and productivity in the United States and throughout the world has long been profoundly underestimated. Data developed by the massive Global Burden of Disease study, conducted by the World Health Organization, the World Bank, and Harvard University, reveal that mental illness, including suicide, ranks second in the burden of disease in established market economies, such as the United States ... Nearly two-thirds of all people with diagnosable mental disorders do not seek treatment ... When people understand that mental disorders are not the result of moral failings or limited will power, but are legitimate illnesses that are responsive to specific treatments, much of the negative stereotyping may dissipate." Mental Health: A Report from the Surgeon General

In Developed Countries, 8 of the 10 Leading Causes of Disability Are Mental Illnesses

The massive Global Burden Of Disease study conducted by the World Health Organization, the World Bank, and Harvard University measured the leading causes of disability (counting lost years of healthy life). In developed countries, the ten leading causes of lost years of healthy life at ages 15-44 were: (1) Major Depressive Disorder, (2) Alcohol Use, (3) Road Traffic Accidents, (4) Schizophrenia, (5) Self-Inflicted Injuries, (6) Bipolar Disorder, (7) Drug Use, (8) Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders, (9) Osteoarthritis, (10) Violence. "The Global Burden Of Disease" by C.J.L. Murray and A.D. Lopez, World Health Organization, 1996, Table 5.4 page 270

Computerized Self-Diagnosis and Diary Now Available

We now offer state-of-the-art, interactive psychiatric tools. You can use your computer to:

• make psychiatric diagnoses
• keep a private diary (to document, graph and statistically analyze your week-by-week progress)
• test your brain (memory, concentration, verbal fluency, orientation, and thinking speed or executive functioning)
• statistically test whether your current treatments have been successful.

Our computer program, Decisionbase™, generates 80 of the most common psychiatric diagnoses. These diagnoses are made using internationally accepted rules for diagnosing mental illness. In addition, specific treatment goals are automatically generated by Decisionbase™.