Frequency of Mental Illness

1.  Twenty-five percent of US population report that they had symptoms sufficient for diagnosing a mental illness during the previous 12 months

2.  Half of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14; the median delay between initial diagnosis and treatment is almost 10 years

3.  Twenty percent of children ages 9 – 17 have diagnosable mental or addictive disorder, 11% suffer significant functional impairment as a result of this disorder, 5% experience extreme impairment

4.  Prevalence of personality disorders is about 11% (Lenzenweger et al)

5.  Eighty percent of children entering the juvenile justice system have a mental disorder

6.  Approximately 30,000 individuals commit suicide every year; 90% have a mental illness.  Deaths from suicide are about twice the number of deaths by homicide.  Approximately 650,000 attempt suicide yearly.

7.  Even though effective treatment is available, many people still don’t/can't access it. This year, there will be about 50 million people who could benefit from mental health treatment yet only about 10 million will actually seek it.

8.  Based on national statistics about the frequency of individuals with mental illness, we would predict about 2,400 adults with serious and persistent mental illness in Cecil County, and about 1,800 children with serious functional impairment due to mental illness

Costs of Mental Illness in the US

1.  The total cost of mental illness in both the public and private sector is about $200 billion.  Lost productivity = $105 billion.  Cost of direct treatment = $92 billion

2.  A New England Journal of Medicine (March, 2006) concluded that the cost of improving mental health and substance-abuse services to the same level of somatic care does not increase total costs, if mental health uses “managed care.”

3.  According to a study by the World Health Organization in 2001, when comparing all diseases, mental illness ranks first in terms of causing disability in the United States, Canada, and Western Europe. This study revealed that mental illness accounts for 25% of all disability in major industrialized countries

4.  A Rand Corporation report showed that, if employers invested $500 per year per employee for mental health services, it would more than pay for itself in increased productivity of their employees

5.  One of the biggest financial drains that untreated mental illnesses exacts is in the work place. Not only do untreated mental illnesses lead to absenteeism, but they can also lead to what's being called "presenteeism," when employees show up but are not able to work to the best of their abilities due to the impairment of psychiatric symptoms

6.  It has been shown that untreated psychiatric illnesses exacerbate chronic conditions like arthritis, asthma, and diabetes, leading to an increase in patient visits to primary care physicians that could potentially have been averted

7.  An anxiety disorder can lead to stomach upsets, heart irregularities, and muscle tension that can lead to ultimately unnecessary referrals to gastroenterologists, cardiologists, and back doctors. A recent study showed that integrating psychiatric care with primary care for people with anxiety disorders leads to an increase in the likelihood that they will follow through with treatment for the anxiety disorder, and can lead to potential annual savings of $800 to $1,000 per patient

8.  The indirect costs, such as lost employment, reduced productivity, criminal activity, vehicular accidents and social welfare programs increase the total cost of mental and substance abuse disorders to more than $273 billion a year.

Treatment Issues

1.  Treatment Effectiveness:  schizophrenia 60%, bipolar 80%, major depression 80%; panic disorder 80%; obsessive-compulsive disorder 60%

2.  Despite effectiveness of treatment, 67% of adults and 80% of children to not get treatment.  Three main factors are financial limits, limits of health insurance coverage, stigma

3.  Medications relieve acute symptoms of schizophrenia in 80 percent of cases, but only about half of all people with schizophrenia seek treatment.

4.  With therapy, 80 to 90 percent of the people suffering from depressive disorders can get better, but fewer than one-third of those who experience these disorders will actually seek treatment.

 5.  Refinements of lithium carbonate, used in treating manic-depressive (bipolar) disorder, have led to an estimated annual savings of $8 billion in treatment costs and lost productivity associated with bipolar disorder.

6.  Many states, including Maryland, have "Parity Laws" which require health insurance companies to provide the same benefits for mental disorders as for somatic care conditions.  Unfortunately these laws have many exceptions, so that most insured individuals still have limited mental health benefits.  The largest violator of Parity Laws is the Federal Government, since Medicare pays only 50% of a mental health bill but pays 80% for the bill for somatic care.

Myths and Misconceptions 

1.  Mental illness is often seen as a factor in violence and criminal behavior.  This is a misconception!  The incidence of violence and criminal behavior is no greater among individuals with severe mental illness than in the general population.

2.  The media depicts mental illness in a way that promotes incorrect stereotypes.  The media often shows individuals with mental illness as disheveled, odd, or dangerous.  These are highly inaccurate and destructive stereotypes that promote the stigma of mental illness and make people afraid or uncomfortable to be open about their own experiences.