Lets look at some numbers to help us give a better insight into the mental health state of the United States in particular and the world in general.
Serious Mental Illness Statistics
At least 5 percent of males and 3.1 percent of females in the U.S. were diagnosed with an SMI in 2014. In terms of ethnicity, 4.4 percent were Caucasians, 3.5 percent were Hispanics or Latin Americans, 3.1 percent were African Americans and 2.4 percent were Asian Americans.
Age wise, 4.8 percent were aged between 18 and 25. 5.1 percent were aged 26 and 44 and 4.2 percent were aged 45 to 64. Only 1.5 percent were 65 years or older.
Common Mental Health Problems
To start with, anxiety-related mental health problems such as social anxiety disorder or panic disorder are quite common in the U.S.
Age, Gender And Other Contributing Factors
Women are 60 percent more likely to experience anxiety disorders compared to men. Additionally, the average age when Americans first experience anxiety-related health problems is 11 years.
22.8 percent of those diagnosed with anxiety health issues (4.1 percent of the U.S. adult population) are classified as severe. It also is worth noting that the 12-month prevalence of developing anxiety-related health problems is 18.1 percent across the U.S. adult population.
Besides anxiety disorders, mood disorders such as bipolar, dysthymic and major depressive disorder also affect a large percentage of the American population. Women have a higher risk profile than men. In fact, women are 50 percent more likely to develop mood disorders.
Mood disorders generally first appear in childhood or adolescence, and up to 45 percent of all mood disorders, or 4.3 percent of the U.S. adult population, are categorized as severe. The 12-month prevalence for developing mood disorders is 9.5 percent for all American adults.
Unlike mood and anxiety disorders, personality disorders such as borderline, antisocial and avoidant personality disorder do not disproportionately affect a specific gender and there is no average age associated with the onset of symptoms. However, about 9.1 percent of the U.S. adult population is likely to suffer from personality disorders in any given 12-month period.
One of the most common mood disorders is depression, which affects 15.7 million Americans. However, depression is also a common and major mental health issue outside the U.S. affecting up to 350 million people worldwide.
Still, depression is a gender disproportionate mental health issue with women twice as likely to experience this condition than men. In fact, 8.2 percent of women are likely to develop depression compared to just 4.28 percent of men. About 6.7 percent of American adults are likely to suffer from depression in any given 12-month period.
Treatment Options
Luckily, many of the mental health issues highlighted above are treatable provided one seeks help from the right health care practitioners. Worryingly, younger Americans are more unlikely to seek health care compared to older adults.
For example, only 53.9 percent of Americans ages 18 to 25 received care for mental health disorders in 2014, whereas 63.7 percent of Americans ages 25 to 45 received treatment for mental disorders.
In that same year, this number was highest among middle-aged Americans with 77.9 percent receiving medical treatment.
Of those individuals who seek medical intervention, females are more likely (72.1 percent) to be treated compared to males (62.1 percent).
Up to 6.7 million Americans diagnosed with SMI sought and received counseling or treatment throughout 2014. The percentage of patients receiving treatment for mood and personality disorders stands at 36.9 percent for men and 39 percent for women.
That rate stands at 50.9 percent for patients suffering from anxiety-related disorders. It also is common for people to experience anxiety-related symptoms when they experience mood disorders.
The Role Of Health Insurance
It is important to note that patients with health insurance are 72.5 percent likely to get treatment, whereas nearly half (47.3 percent) of those without health insurance are unlikely to seek medical help.
Thus, it is evident that health insurance plays a crucial role in treating and improving mental health, on both an individual and societal level.
