Below, you will find some shocking statistics concerning Mental Health in the United States. If you find yourself or someone else dealing with one or more of these issues, the best thing to do is to seek professional help as soon as you can.
1 in 5 adults in the United States suffer from a mental illness (46.6 million adults). Some of these mental illnesses are more moderate, and others are quite severe. None should be taken lightly.
42 million adults in the U.S. live with anxiety disorders.
More than 1 in 4 young adults (ages 18-25) have a mental illness (25.8%). Young adults are more likely to suffer from a serious mental illness than older adults.
22.2% of the adults in the U.S., ages 26-49 years, suffer from some form of mental illness.
Women are more likely than men to experience mental illness (22.3% compared to 15.1%).
Only about 42.6% of adults with any type of mental illness received any kind of mental health services / treatment / counseling in 2017. And, that statistic is even lower for men: only 34.8% of men struggling with real mental health issues received any kind of help whatsoever. In addition to that, only 38.4% of young adults with mental health problems received any kind of help – 5% less young adults received help compared to older adults.
There is some good news; Adults with a serious mental illness are more likely to receive help than those with a more moderate mental illness. (A serious mental illness is one that interferes with or limits one or more major life activities).
Sadly, many adults with serious mental illness (roughly 32%) are not receiving any kind of help or treatment to help with their conditions. Out of all individuals with serious mental health illness, about 29% of women and 42.3% of men are not getting any professional help.
MENTAL HEALTH IN ADOLESCENTS
It is estimated that as high as 50% of adolescents, aged 13-18, have a mental disorder. Of the adolescents who suffer from a very serious form of depression specifically, 60% did not receive any treatment.
50% of lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14, and 75% of lifetime cases of all mental illnesses begin by age 24.
The average delay time between the start of symptoms and intervention is 8-10 years.
60% of adolescents who have experienced major depressive episode did not seek treatment.
31.9% of adolescents experienced an anxiety disorder in 2017 alone.
38% of females and 26% of Males have had an anxiety disorder.
70% of the youth in state and local juvenile justice systems have been diagnosed with a mental illness.
Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death in youth ages 10 – 24.
9 out of 10 of those who died by suicide had an underlying mental illness.
DEPRESSION
One of the most common mental health issues in the U.S. is depression.
For many individuals, depression can cause severe difficulties that keep one from carrying out normal activities.
If you experience a depressed mood for 1-2 weeks consecutively (or more) it is a possibility that you are suffering from depression.
Depression can cause many symptoms such as problems with sleep, eating, concentration, and even energy levels and self-worth.
Statistics also include depressive episodes that are caused by medical illness, substance use disorders, and medication.
Out of all 18+ adult age groups, adults aged 18-25 are the most likely to have a major depressive episode. This accounts for 13.1% of all adults who experienced a major depressive episode in a given year. Women are more likely than men to deal with depression.
For reference, about 17.3 million adults experienced at least one depressive episode in 2017. This accounts for 7.1% of all adults living in the United States.
Out of all U.S. adult females, 8.7% experienced a depressive episode in one year, as opposed to a lower percentage for men (5.3%).
Of all adults who experienced a major / severe depressive episode, 63.8% had severe impairment [in navigating day to day life activities].
ANXIETY
About 19.1% of adults in the U.S. experienced some type of anxiety disorder in 2017. For women, this number is higher – 23.4%. For men, the number is 14.3%.
For those afflicted by anxiety, it has the potential to negatively affect their performance in their jobs, their school or work, relationships, and more.
For this data, we’re including research based on several different types of anxiety disorders: included panic disorder, social anxiety disorder (social phobia), agoraphobia, specific phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, separation anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.
An estimated 31.1% of U.S. adults experience an anxiety disorder at one point or another in their lives.
Based on the Sheehan Disability Scale, of all adults with anxiety disorders, 22.8% had serious impairment. 33.7% had moderate impairment.
43.5% of people (with any type of anxiety disorder) experienced mild impairment.
Nearly 1/3 of all adolescents had an anxiety disorder.
For female adolescents, this statistic rises to a shocking 38%. The frequency of anxiety disorders was lower for adolescent males (26.1%).
All age groups of adolescents were at a very similar risk for anxiety disorders (31.4, 32.1, and 32.3 percent respectively).
ADHD
ADHD symptoms include difficulty staying focused or paying attention, a difficult time controlling behavior, and an excess of activity (hyperactivity). ADHD is one of the most common mental health disorders in childhood, but it can continue well into adulthood.
Males are much more likely than females to be diagnosed with ADHD.
An estimated 8.1% of U.S. adults (aged 18-44 years) carry ADHD into adulthood.
The percentage of children diagnosed with ADHD increased by 42% just between 2003 and 2011.
The most severe cases of ADHD tend to be diagnosed earlier in childhood.
Approximately one third of children diagnosed with ADHD retain the diagnosis into adulthood.
Medication can be used to effectively tread ADHD symptoms of impulsivity, inattention, and hyperactivity. It is the single most effective treatment for reducing ADHD symptoms.
Nearly half of all cases of ADHD in adolescents involved severe impairment. ADHD afflicted three times as many males as females.
BIPOLAR DISORDER
Bipolar Disorders are accompanied by drastic changes in mood, activity, and energy levels that affect the person’s capacity to accomplish normal daily tasks.
There are essentially four types of bipolar disorder – and all of them involve distinct switches in mood, energy, and activity levels.
These moods can differ from periods of tremendously “up,” ecstatic, and energized behavior (known as manic episodes) to very sad, “down,” or desperate periods (known as depressive episodes).
People who are experiencing a manic episode may:
- Feel very “up,” “high,” or elated
- Have a lot more energy than usual
- Have amplified activity levels
- Feel “jittery” or “wired”
- Have difficulty sleeping
- Become more active than usual
- Talk very fast about an array of different topics
- Act agitated, irritable, or “touchy”
- Feel like their thoughts are going very fast
- Think they can do many things all at once
- Do risky things, such as spend a lot of money.
People having a depressive episode may:
- Experience very sad, down, empty, or generally depressed emotions
- Experience very little energy
- Experience lower activity levels
- Experience trouble sleeping, they may sleep too little or too much
- Feel like they can’t enjoy anything
- Feel stressed and empty
- Find that they have difficulty concentrating
- Forget things often
- Eat too much or too little
- Feel tired or “slowed down”
- Think about death or suicide.
Adults aged 18-29 are the most likely to have bipolar disorder. Men and women have a very similar chance of being affected.
Of adults affected by Bipolar Disorder, a shocking 82.9% have a serious impairment caused by the disorder – with only 17.1% experiencing a moderate case of the disorder.
Bipolar Disorders make up the highest percentage of serious mental health illness out of all types of mood disorders.
Sources:
General Mental Health Stats https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness.shtml
Depression Stats https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/major-depression.shtml
Anxiety Stats https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/any-anxiety-disorder.shtml
ADHD Stats https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd.shtml
Bipolar Disorder Stats https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/bipolar-disorder.shtml
Bipolar Disorder Overview https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/bipolar-disorder/index.shtml