Impact of Mental Health on Society

 

Post-Terrorism

More than 70% of Americans felt symptoms of depression in the weeks following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. (The Pew Research Center for People and the Press, 2001)

 

Consumers and Recovery

Depression can be successfully treated more than 80% of the time. (NIMH, 2001)

Thirty-four percent of people with schizophrenia in one study experienced full recovery in psychiatric states and social functioning. (National Empowerment Center, 2000)

 

Children and Families

At any one time, between 10 and 15 percent of children and adolescents have some symptoms of depression. In any given year, about 5% of children between 9 and 17 years old have full-fledged depression. (USSG, 1999)

About 13% of children between 9 and 17 years old have an anxiety disorder. (USSG, 1999)

Between 3 and 5 percent of school age children have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. (USSG, 1999)

About 70% of children and adolescents with mental health treatment needs do not receive treatment. (USSG, 1999)

Every hour and 45 minutes another young person commits suicide. (The Jed Foundation, 2000)

Between 1952 and 1996 the suicide rate among youth and teens more than tripled.

Between 1980 and 1996, the suicide rate among youth 10-14 years old increased by 100%, and the suicide rate among teens 15-19 years old increased by 14%. (USSG, 1999)

 

Policymakers

Between 28 and 30 percent of the U.S. population has a mental health disorder, substance abuse disorder, or both. (USSG, 1999)

The indirect costs of mental illness to the American economy in 1990 were $79 billion. (USSG, 1999)

Untreated and mistreated mental illness cost the United States $105 billion in lost productivity and $8 billion in crime and welfare expenditures. (BJP, 1998)

Full mental health parity will increase insurance premiums by only 0.9%. (CBO, 2000)

About 42% of children in child welfare systems have a diagnosable mental health disorder. (USSG, 2001)

Twenty percent of youths in juvenile justice facilities have a serious emotional disturbance and most have a diagnosable mental disorder. (USDOJ, 1999)

 

Workplace

Anxiety-related disorders cost the United States $42 billion a year in work-related and medical losses. (NIMH, 1999)

Depression costs the nation about $44 billion a year in lost workdays, decreased productivity and other losses. (NIMH, 1999)

The combined indirect and related costs of mental illness, including costs of lost productivity, lost earnings due to illness, societal costs, such as increased criminal justice and family care giving, are estimated to total $48 billion. (National Advisory Mental Health Council, 1993)

The cost of alcohol and illicit drug use in the workplace, including lost productivity, medical claims, and accidents, amounts to $140 billion per year. (National Drug Addiction Recovery Month Kit, 1998)
 

Older Adults

Up to 20% of older adults have significant symptoms of depression. (USSG, 1999)

Men account for 83% of suicides by people over age 65. (CDC, 2001)

 

College Students

More than 75% of college students felt “overwhelmed” last year, and 22% were sometimes so depressed they could not function. (ACHA, 2001)

Ten percent of college students have been diagnosed with depression. (NIMH, 2000)

Seven percent of college students have an anxiety disorder. (NIMH, 2000)
 

Mental Health Impacts All Americans

More than 51 million Americans have a mental disorder in a given year, although only about 8 million (16%) seek treatment. (National Institute of Mental Health, Center for Mental Health Services, 1994)

One in every five adults, or about 40 million Americans, experience some type of mental disorder every year. (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, 1995)

Serious mental illness affects 10 million Americans, nearly half of who have severe and persistent disorders. (SAMHSA, 1997)

Over 19 million Americans suffer from anxiety disorders, the most common mental illnesses. (NIMH, 1998)

More than 18 million people experience a depressive disorder each year. (NIMH, 1998)

Depression will be the second greatest cause of premature death and disability worldwide by the year 2020. (World Health Organization, 1998)
 

Mental Health Matters to Healthcare

Up to half of all visits to primary care physicians are due to conditions caused or exacerbated by mental or emotional problems. (Collaborative Family Healthcare Coalition, 1998)

People with depression are more than four times as likely to develop a heart attack than those without a history of the illness. (NIMH, 1998)

Almost 21% of hospital beds are filled by people with mental illness. (SAMHSA, 1995)

The treatment success rate for schizophrenia is 60%-80% for bipolar disorders and 65% for major depression, whereas the treatment success rate for heart disease ranges from 41%-52%. (SAMHSA, 1995)

More than 41 million Americans lack health insurance, and many of them are unable to access the services they need from an overburdened and under-funded public health system. (The Hay Group Study, 1997)

 

Content provided by The Association of Community Mental Health Centers of Kansas, Inc.