Approximately one out of every four Americans suffers from some form of mental disorder in a given year. About 3.5 million Americans suffer from severe mental illnesses like schizophrenia and manic-depressive illness. At least 40 percent of mentally ill people do not seek help or are not being treated, while many wander the streets homeless (Kornblum).
This table shows the prevalence and cost of some of the more common types of mental illness in the United States of America.
Mental illness: The numbers.
Prevalence Schizophrenia: About 1% of the population Major depression: Lifetime occurrence - 10% - 25% of women, 5% - 12% of men. Bipolar disorder (manic depression): Lifetime occurrence - 1% - 2% of the population. Panic Disorder: Lifetime occurrence - about 1% of males, 2% of females. Obsessive-compulsive disorders: Lifetime occurrence - about 2.5% of the population.
Cost Mental disorders, other than alcohol and substance abuse, cost U.S. society more than $204.4 billion annually. About $91 billion of that amount (based on 1994 figures) is for direct health care costs; the rest includes social services, disability payments and the expense of lost productivity. Estimates for the annual costs of some specific mental disorders:Major depression: $43.7 billion Anxiety disorders: $65.0 billion Schizophrenia: $44.9 billionOther: $52.7.
SOURCE: NIMH, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th edition), Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, Institute for Behavior and Health, and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Statistics Source Book.
This information is useful in helping to draw a picture of just how much of the population in America is affected by mental illnesses. This information also shows how much mental disorders cost society and where the money is being spent in the area of mental disorders.
Epidemiological estimates have changed over time because of changes in the definitions and diagnosis of mental health and mental illness.
