As a clinician, mainly in Primary care, I struggled to care for people with their distress and anxiety around broken relationships, shortage of money and depressing jobs-even unemployment.

I came to the conclusion that Marital Breakdown was a major Public Health Problem.

Mental stress and distress is part of the human predicament, remarkably most of the time human beings survive and recover from incredible experiences-Auschwitz, Rwanda, Childhood abuse.

When the ability to cope is pushed too far then mental anguish and illness may result.

It is then helpful to try to define mental illness and measure the size and shape of the problem, to identify the determinants, to provide rational therapy and effective prevention.