Facts about Mental Health
- 20-25% of Americans have a diagnosable mental and/or substance use disorder in any given year.
- Only 40% of individuals with mental and/or substance use disorders get treatment. Of those who get treatment, less than 1/3 get minimally adequate care.
- Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States.
- Rising rates of suicide and opioid abuse are driving a shocking increase in the death rate of working age Americans.
- 5-6% of American adults have a serious mental illness; about 2% have disorders that are long-term and disabling, contributing to very high rates of unemployment and poor living conditions.
- 30-40% of homeless adults and 15-20% of people in jails and prisons in the United States have a serious mental illness. This is often accompanied by substance abuse problems in both these populations.
- As many as 10% of children have a serious emotional disturbance, contributing to school failure and other serious problems.
- As the number of older adults doubles over the next two decades so will the number of older adults with mental disorders. This includes 5.5 million older adults who currently have Alzheimer’s disorder or other dementia. Without advances in prevention, this will rise to 11 million older adults with dementia by 2050.
- There will also be massive growth of minority populations, and the mental health system already has a tremendous shortage of culturally competent personnel.
- Mental and substance use disorders cost hundreds of billions of dollars per year for: (1) treatment of these conditions, (2) treatment of related health conditions often made more severe, more disabling, and more expensive by behavioral health disorders, (3) government funding of various welfare benefits to support people diagnosed with mental and substance use disorders, (4) criminal justice activities, and (5) lost productivity due to inability to work.
- Treatment works. There are effective, evidence-based and state-of-the-art interventions that can improve the quality of life of individuals.
- Funding mental health services and translating research findings into practice is a worthwhile investment that improves the lives of individuals and their families and reduces overall costs to the healthcare system.