Mental illness may be more common than you think. Take this crowd. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about half of these Americans will have at least one mental illness across their lifetime. About half of them will currently be struggling with a mental illness. This means that one in four Americans could be mentally ill.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness says that around 18% of American adults have an anxiety disorder. These include obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress-disorder. Almost 7% live with major depression, which is the leading cause of disability worldwide.
Mental illness is linked to chronic illness, alcohol and tobacco abuse, and injuries, both intentional and unintentional. In developed countries, mental illness is responsible for more disability than cancer and heart disease.
People who identify as LGBTQ are twice as likely to have a mental health condition. Other disproportionately impacted groups include prisoners and the homeless.
Many mental illnesses are manageable with proper treatment. To achieve this goal, it’s important to realize just how common mental illness is.
Sources
1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2011). CDC report: mental illness surveillance among adults in the United States [Fact sheet].
2. National Alliance on Mental Illness. (n.d.). Mental health by the numbers [Fact sheet].
3. World Health Organization. (2017). Depression [Fact sheet].
4. Bureau of Justice Statistics. (2006). Mental health problems of prison and jail inmates [Special report].
5. American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Health and homelessness [Fact sheet].
Elizabeth Johnson 