Mental Illness Awareness Week: What Everyone Should Know

This week, as we observe Mental Illness Awareness Week, we want to do our part to recognize the millions of people in the United States who are living with a mental illness condition, as well as the millions of others who are indirectly affected by mental illness, whether through family, friends, or co-workers.

Research shows that mental illness affects tens of millions of people in the United States each year, but estimates suggest that only half the people with mental illnesses receive treatment. To break that down even more, one in five Americans (that’s 43.8 million people) is affected by a mental health condition.

We can all agree that it’s important to talk about mental illness every day, year-round, not just for one week each year, but the designated week allows us to join together as one voice to highlight the impact mental illness has on each and every one of us and to call attention to these stats:

• 6.9% of adults in the U.S.—16 million—had at least one major depressive episode in the past year.

• Approximately 1 in 25 adults in the U.S.—9.8 million—experiences a serious mental illness in a given year that substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities.

• Approximately 1 in 5 youth aged 13–18 experiences a severe mental disorder at some point during their life.

• 2.6% of adults in the U.S. live with bipolar disorder.

• 18.1% of adults in the U.S. experienced an anxiety disorder such as PTSD, obsessive-compulsive disorder and specific phobias.

• Only 41% of adults in the U.S. with a mental health condition received mental health services in the last year.

• Half of all chronic mental illness begins by age 14

• Mood disorders, including major depression, dysthymic disorder and bipolar disorder, are the third most common cause of hospitalization in the U.S. for both youth and adults aged 18–44.

• Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S., the third leading cause of death for people aged 10–14 and the second leading cause of death for people aged 15–24.

• More than 90% of children who die by suicide have a mental health condition.

(Source: https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-By-the-Numbers_)

The bottom line: Mental health is just as important as physical health. If you have a broken arm, you go to the doctor to treat it, because your physical health is suffering. So if your mental health is suffering, treat it like a broken arm and seek help from professionals.

If you or someone you know is suffering from mental illness, seek help through these resources:

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255

www.betterhelp.com – Online Counseling platform

www.calm.com – Meditation app

https://goaskalice.columbia.edu/category/emotional-health – Go Ask Alice! for quick questions