Worldwide …
Four of the ten leading causes of disability for persons age 5 and older are mental disorders. i
Among developing nations, including the United States, major depression is the leading cause of disability. Also near the top of these rankings are manic-depressive illness, schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder. ii
Among developing nations, mental disorders collectively account for more than 15 percent of the overall burden of disease from all causes and slightly more than the burden associated with all forms of cancer. iii
In the United States …
About 10% of the adult population use mental health services in the health sector in any given year, with another 5% seeking such services from social service agencies, schools or religious or self-help groups. iv
For about 1 in 5 Americans, adulthood - a time for achieving productive vocations and for sustaining close relationships at home and in the community - is interrupted by mental illness. v
In 1996, the direct costs for mental disorders totaled $69 billion dollars. vi
Percentages of the Adult population (ages 18 and above) with severe mental disorders: vii
Schizophrenia 1.5%
Manic Depression (Bipolar) 1.0%
Major Depression 1.1%
Panic Disorder 0.4%
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder 0.6%
Any of the above 2.8%
More than 2 million people are affected by schizophrenia in any given year, and only 1 in 5 recovers completely. An estimated 1 in 10 people with the illness dies by suicide. viii
Mood disorders such as major depression and manic-depression (bipolar disorder) affect nearly 18 million adults each year. ix
More than 90% of people who kill themselves have a diagnosable mental disorder, commonly a depressive disorder or a substance abuse disorder. x
Nearly twice as many women (12%) as men (6.6%) are affected by a depressive disorder each year. xi
In New York City…
It costs only $994 more to provide homeless men and women with mental illness with supportive housing, job training and counseling. To do nothing costs taxpayers $40,500 annually worth of publicly-funded services, such as psychiatric hospitals, shelters, and prisons. xii
There are an estimated 10,000 men and women with major mental illness living on the streets. xiii
SOURCES
i Murray CJL, Lopez AD, eds. Summary: The global burden of disease: a comprehensive assessment of mortality and disability from diseases, injuries, and risk factors in 1990 and projected to 2020. Cambridge, MA: Published by Harvard School of Public Health on behalf of the World Health Organization and World Bank, Harvard University Press, 1996.
ii Ibid.
iii Ibid.
iv U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General - Executive Summary. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), 1999.
v Ibid.
vi Ibid.
vii National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Mental Illness in America.
viii Ibid.
ix Ibid.
x Hoyert DL, Kochanek KD, Murphy SL. Death: final data for 1997. National Vital Statistics Report, 47 (19). DHHS Publication No. 99-1120. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics, 1999.
xi Narrow WE. One-year prevalence of depressive disorders among adults 18 and over in the U.S.: NIMH ECA prospective data. Unpublished.
xii Culhane, Dennis P. The Impact of Supportive Housing for Homeless People with Severe Mental Illness on the Utilization of the Public Health, Corrections, and Emergency Shelter Systems: The New York-New York Initiative. University of Pennsylvania, 2001.
xiii Ibid.
