Statistics of Mental Illness.
The most common forms of mental problem in the United States are panic attacks and phobias. Phobias include severe fears such as fear of going outside, fear of heights, or enclosed spaces. It is estimated that about 20 million Americans suffer from panic attacks or phobias in any given year. Another 18 million Americans suffer from other mental illnesses, such as depression, including manic, major, or minor depression. Alcoholism is also classified as a mental illness, and has been diagnosed in approximately 14 million people. A problematic group of mentally ill individuals are substance abusers with a mental illness like schizophrenia that live in urban areas. This constitutes about 6 million Americans. These people are referred to as mentally ill chemical abusers (MICA) (Kornblum). A general problem with mental illness is the social impact of deinstitutionalization, or discharging patients from mental hospitals directly into the community without the intermediate steps like group housing, or assisted living. Some of these patients may not be able to function like normal members in society. This can cause conflict and consequences to both the patient and the people they come into contact with.
Statistics say that there are about 350 million mentally ill individuals in the world. Approximately 80 percent of the worlds 350 million mentally disabled people live in developing nations. Depression is extremely common in elderly individuals, which is usually worsened by isolation and chronic pain (i.e. arthritis). About 3% of seniors suffer from major depression, but many more may suffer from milder forms of depression. This often leads to more disability and increased mortality. Although late-life depression is treatable, most older people with clinical depression do not receive adequate treatment. Those who do recover from depression have improved physical and social functioning.
