Mental Health: the statistics
May is mental health month and we’re spending some time this month discussing how you can help yourself or those you care about through taking the first steps to address, treat, and recover from these illnesses.
While some mental health illnesses are avoidable, depression and anxiety disorders are two of the most prevalent mental health issues. These two issues which affect over 1 in 5 adults in the United States can be treated or avoided with the right help and education.
If you don’t think mental health is an issue in our modern society, let’s take a look at the numbers:
1 in 5 US Adults experience mental illness each year
1 in 20 US adults experience serious mental illness each year
1 in 6 youth age 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year
50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14 and 75% by age 24
Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people age 10-14
33.5% of US adults with mental illness also experienced a substance use disorder in 2021
Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide
(https://www.nami.org/mhstats)
While the numbers don’t look favorable, the good news is there are a lot of mental health benefits to creating and sticking with some good wellness habits. This month we’ll discuss some of the anxiety and depression reducing effects that these habits can have.
