A Huffington Post article reports on ten statistics to demonstrate that mental health is a global issue.
While many people are diagnosed with mental illness, many more are affected by loved ones with mental illnesses. Watching someone battle addiction or losing someone to suicide are just two instances of how mental illnesses and struggles have a ripple effect on those around them.
Many of us are impacted by mental health disorders, either by personally having one or being involved with someone who does.
The below statistics show the widespread nature and global impact of mental illness:
- 20
- 20 percent of people in the United States had a diagnosable mental illness last year.
- 5
- Major depressive disorder is ranked as 5 by the Disability-Adjusted Life Years, which takes into account years lost either from premature death or disability.
- $193 Billion
- $193 billion is estimated as the total amount serious mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, cost America in lost earnings per year.
- 10
- Suicide is ranked as 10 for cause of death in the United States. Over the past 15 years, the suicide rate has increased by 24 percent.
- 90
- 90 percent of young people who commit suicide had an underlying mental illness.
- $16,306
- A report published in the American Journal of Psychiatry in 2008 estimates that a person with a serious mental illness has a reduction in earnings of $16,306.
- 59
- Many people with mental health disorders avoid seeking professional help due to negative stigmas, research shows. Over the past year, 59 percent of adults in the United States with a mental health condition did not seek treatment.
- One Third
- 1 out of 3 adults with mental illness are likely to be victims of violence within a six-month period.
- $2.5 Trillion
- Health economists at the World Economic Forum estimated that the global cost of mental illness in 2010 was $2.5 trillion. They estimate that this number will increase to $6 trillion by 2030.