Mental illness affects 1 in 5 US adults every year; some of them are your patients. This brief study of "the numbers" is essential.
Approximately 47.6 million US adults (19.1%) experienced mental illness in 2018; anxiety disorder was most prevalent (19.1%), followed by major depressive disorder (7.2%). Less than half (43.3%) of adults with mental illness received treatment in 2018 and, across the US economy, serious mental illness is responsible for lost earnings totalling $193.2 billion a year.Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people aged 10 to 34 in the US and the 10th leading cause of death overall in the country.Numbers are powerful, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) who compiled hundreds of recent statistics on mental illness in the US. The numbers reveal how common mental illness is and provide insight into at-risk populations. Review the NAMI numbers in the following slides and consider your own patient population. Awareness is essential.
The information compiled by the National Alliance for Mental Illness comes from studies and surveys conducted by organizations such as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the US Department of Justice. Links to sources for each statistic cited in this slide show are available on the NAMI web site.
Mental Illness in the United States. Close to one quarter of US adults epxerience some form of mental illness every year -- and more than half of all lifetime emotional illness begins at the time of high school or middle school. Unfortunately, the average time between first symptoms and treatment is 11 years.
Impact of Mental Illness by Demographic Group. Lesbian, gay, or bisexual persons are most affected by mental illness, followed by non-Hispanic mixed/multiracial persons and then non-Hispanic whites.
Annual Mental Illness Prevalence by Condition. Anxiety disorders are most common in the US followed by major depressive disorder, PTSD, and bipolar disorder.
The Personal "Ripple Effect." NAMI refers to the global impact of mental illness on a person's life as a ripple effect that compounds emotional disturbance with other chronic illness, substance use disorders, and unemployment, to name only a few downstream effects.
Impact of Mental Illness in Communities. Mental illness affects a significant proportion of populations considered marginalized in our communities including the homeless, veterans, and adults and youth in the state and federal justice systems.
Caring for Adults with Mental Illness. Mental illness in adults is responsible for millions of acute and long-term hospital encounters every year as well as significant caregiver burden.
Suicide: We Need to Talk. NAMI calls on anyone touched by the desire to commit suicide and everyone in contact with someone who presents a risk to themslves to be open and honest. Secrecy, fear, and shame foster the sobering statistic that 90% of those who suicide had symptoms observed by family, friends, and healthcare professionals.
Suicide: Groups at High Risk. High school students and young adults aged 18-25 years are vulnerable to serious thoughts of suicide and LGBT young people as well as transgender adults are significantly more likely to attempt suicide than straight youth and the general populations, respectively.
US Annual Treatment Rates for Mental Illness. On average, less than half of adults in the US with mental illness or serious mental illness received treatment in 2018; just half of children and youth aged 6-17 received treatment as recorded in 2016. Lack of mental health coverage by payers continues to be a problem.
Annual Mental Illness Treatment Rates by Demographic Group.