Impact on Adults
- 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year
- 1 in 25 U.S. adults experience serious mental illness each year
- 1 in 6 U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year
- 50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% by age 24
- Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people aged 10-34
- 19.1% of U.S. adults experienced mental illness in 2018 (47.6 million people). This represents 1 in 5 adults.
- 4.6% of U.S. adults experienced serious mental illness in 2018 (11.4 million people). This represents 1 in 25 adults.
- 16.5% of U.S. youth aged 6-17 experienced a mental health disorder in 2016 (7.7 million people)
- 3.7% of U.S. adults experienced a co-occurring substance use disorder and mental illness in 2018 (9.2 million people)
Annual prevalence among U.S. adults, by condition:
- Major Depressive Episode: 7.2% (17.7 million people)
- Schizophrenia: <1% (estimated 1.5 million people)
- Bipolar Disorder: 2.8% (estimated 7 million people)
- Anxiety Disorders: 19.1% (estimated 48 million people)
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: 3.6% (estimated 9 million people)
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: 1.2% (estimated 3 million people)
- Borderline Personality Disorder: 1.4% (estimated 3.5 million people)
Impact on Youth
- 1 in 6 U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year
- 17% of U.S. youth aged 6-17 experienced a mental health disorder each year
- Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people aged 10-34 in the U.S.
- Lesbian, gay and bisexual youth are 4x more likely to attempt suicide than straight youth
Impact on Our Families
- At least 8.4 million people in the U.S. provide care to an adult with a mental or emotional health issue
- Caregivers of adults with mental or emotional health issues spend an average of 32 hours per week providing unpaid care
Impact on Our Diverse Communities
43.3% of U.S. adults with mental illness received treatment in 2018. Annual prevalence of mental illness among U.S. adults, by demographic group:
- Non-Hispanic Asian: 14.7%
- Non-Hispanic white: 20.4%
- Non-Hispanic black or African-American: 16.2%
- Non-Hispanic mixed/multiracial: 26.8%
- Hispanic or Latino: 16.9%
- Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual: 37.4%
- Transgender adults are nearly 12x more likely to attempt suicide than the general population
- Lesbian, gay and bisexual youth are 4x more likely to attempt suicide than straight youth
Additional Impacts of Mental Illness
- People with depression have a 40% higher risk of developing cardiovascular and metabolic diseases than the general population. People with serious mental illness are nearly twice as likely to develop these conditions.
- 19.3% of U.S. adults with mental illness also experienced a substance use disorder in 2018 (9.2 million individuals)
- The rate of unemployment is higher among U.S. adults who have a mental illness (5.8%) compared to those who do not (3.6%)
- High school students with significant symptoms of depression are more than twice as likely to drop out compared to their peers
Treatment Gaps
- 43.3% of U.S. adults with mental illness received treatment in 2018
- 64.1% of U.S. adults with serious mental illness received treatment in 2018
- 50.6% of U.S. youth aged 6-17 with a mental health disorder received treatment in 2016
- The average delay between the onset of mental illness symptoms and treatment is 11 years
- 11.3% of U.S. adults with mental illness had no insurance coverage in 2018
- 13.4% of U.S. adults with serious mental illness had no insurance coverage in 2018
- 60% of U.S. counties do not have a single practicing psychiatrist
Annual treatment rates among U.S. adults with any mental illness:
Information on this page provided by NAMI, with information state and federal organizations, including Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Department of Justice.