Facts about Mental Health

It is estimated that 26.2% of Americans ages 18 and older—about one in four adults—suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. Mental health conditions are brain disorders. They may be due to environmental or genetic factors. No particular family member did anything to cause them; nobody did anything wrong to acquire a mental illness. [2]

A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioral, cognitive and perceptual components. The recognition and understanding of mental health conditions have changed over time and across cultures, and there are still variations in the definition, assessment, and classification of mental disorders, although standard guideline criteria are widely accepted. A few mental disorders are diagnosed based on the harm to others, regardless of the subject's perception of distress. Over a third of people in most countries report meeting criteria for the major categories at some point in their lives. [1]

Facts about Mental Health:

• The burden of mental disorders gives rise to huge social and economic consequences to individuals, their families and whole communities or populations.
• Neuropsychiatric disorders cause 1/3 of years lost due to disability worldwide and account for 13% of total disease burden.
• 80% of the global burden of disease due to mental disorders is found in low- and middle-income countries.
• Among all disabilities, mental disorders are associated with the highest rates of unemployment, between 70% and 90%.
• Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide.
• 33% of countries have no mental health budget.
• 1 in 4 people will be affected by a mental disorder at some point in their lives.
• Every 40 seconds someone dies by suicide.
• 4 out of 5 people with mental disorders in developing countries don’t receive treatment.
• Almost 50% of all mental disorders begin before the age of 14.

Understanding and knowledge are important steps toward empowerment. The more engaged people become—and the more they learn about their mental health condition—the more prepared they will be to develop a comprehensive treatment plan and begin the lifelong process of mental health recovery.

Sources:
1 - "Mental Health." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Oct 2011. Web. 19 Oct 2011. .
2 - "Mental Health Conditions." Choices in Recovery. Janssen Pharmaceuticals, 18 Oct 2011. Web. 19 Oct 2011. .

Author: Tina Pfeiffer