In 2019, 19.2% of adults had received any mental health treatment in the past 12 months, including 15.8% who had taken prescription medication for their mental health and 9.5% who received counseling or therapy from a mental health professional. Women were more likely than men to have received any mental health treatment.
Which Americans receive the most mental health treatment?
Women were more likely than men to have received any mental health treatment. Non-Hispanic white adults (23.0%) were more likely than non-Hispanic black (13.6%) and Hispanic (12.9%) adults to have received any mental health treatment.
How many people provide care to an adult with mental health issues?
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
How many women in the US receive mental health treatment?
Nearly one in four women received any mental health treatment (24.7%) in the past 12 months, compared with 13.4% of men ( Figure 2 ).
Do people with a history of mental illness receive mental health treatment in jail?
Less than half of people ( 45%) with a history of mental illness receive mental health treatment while held in local jails. People who have healthcare coverage upon release from incarceration are more likely to engage in services that reduce recidivism.
What is the success rate of mental health treatment?
The best treatments for serious mental illnesses today are highly effective; between 70 and 90 percent of individuals have a significant reduction of symptoms and improved quality of life with a combination of pharmacological and psychosocial treatments and supports.
What percentage of adults with mental illness actually seek treatment?
The percentage of adults with a mental illness who report unmet need for treatment has increased every year since 2011. In 2019, 24.7% of adults with a mental illness report an unmet need for treatment. Over 60% of youth with major depression do not receive any mental health treatment.
How are adults affected by mental health?
Mental health has an impact on physical health and vice versa. For example, older adults with physical health conditions such as heart disease have higher rates of depression than those who are healthy. Additionally, untreated depression in an older person with heart disease can negatively affect its outcome.
How mental health was viewed and treated in the past?
TREATMENT IN THE PAST. For much of history, the mentally ill have been treated very poorly. It was believed that mental illness was caused by demonic possession, witchcraft, or an angry god (Szasz, 1960). For example, in medieval times, abnormal behaviors were viewed as a sign that a person was possessed by demons.
How effective are mental health interventions?
Conclusions. All 6 psychological intervention studies significantly improved at least one quality of life outcome immediately post-intervention, with three out of six studies maintaining effects up to 12-months post-intervention.
What are the statistics on mental illness?
An estimated 26% of Americans ages 18 and older -- about 1 in 4 adults -- suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. Many people suffer from more than one mental disorder at a given time.
Why is mental health important for adults?
Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.
Which age group has the highest rate of mental health problems?
Prevalence of Any Mental Illness (AMI) This number represented 21.0% of all U.S. adults. The prevalence of AMI was higher among females (25.8%) than males (15.8%). Young adults aged 18-25 years had the highest prevalence of AMI (30.6%) compared to adults aged 26-49 years (25.3%) and aged 50 and older (14.5%).
What mental illness gets worse with age?
Forester explains that with bipolar disorder, untreated symptoms tend to worsen with age, as may have been the case with Victor Lottmann.
What are the impact of changes in mental health care?
One major change has been the shift in society's attitudes. People are becoming more accepting of mental health problems and more supportive of people with issues. They are more aware of common mental disorders such as depression and anxiety, and are more willing to talk to health professionals and seek treatment.
How were mentally ill patients treated in the 1900s?
In the following centuries, treating mentally ill patients reached all-time highs, as well as all-time lows. The use of social isolation through psychiatric hospitals and “insane asylums,” as they were known in the early 1900s, were used as punishment for people with mental illnesses.
How were the mentally ill viewed by society?
Society can have stereotyped views about mental ill health. Some people believe people with mental health problems are dangerous, when in fact they are at a higher risk of being attacked or harming themselves than hurting other people.
How many people have received mental health treatment in 2019?
In 2019, 19.2% of adults had received any mental health treatment in the past 12 months, including 15.8% who had taken prescription medication for their mental health and 9.5% who received counseling or therapy from a mental health professional.
Which group of people was more likely to receive mental health treatment than men?
Women were more likely than men to have received any mental health treatment.
Which group of people took more medication for mental health?
Non-Hispanic white adults (19.1%) were more likely than non-Hispanic black (11.1%) and Hispanic (10.3%) adults to have taken medication for their mental health.
Do women have mental health issues?
Women were more likely than men to have received any treatment for their mental health, consistent with the higher prevalence of common mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression, seen among women ( 3) as well as an increased willingness to seek mental health care ( 4 ). Receipt of any mental health treatment was higher among non-Hispanic white adults compared with non-Hispanic black and Hispanic adults. While the percentage of adults who had received counseling or therapy decreased as level of urbanization decreased, the percentage who had taken medication for their mental health increased with decreasing urbanization level.
What is mental health services?
The NSDUH defines mental health services as having received inpatient treatment/counseling or outpatient treatment/counseling or having used prescription medication for problems with emotions, nerves, or mental health.
How many people with SMI received mental health treatment in 2019?
In 2019, among the 13.1 million adults with SMI, 8.6 million (65.5%) received mental health treatment in the past year. More females with SMI (70.5%) received mental health treatment than males with SMI (56.5%).
How many people have SMI in 2019?
In 2019, there were an estimated 13.1 million adults aged 18 or older in the United States with SMI. This number represented 5.2% of all U.S. adults. The prevalence of SMI was higher among females (6.5%) than males (3.9%).
What is a serious mental illness?
Serious mental illness (SMI) is defined as a mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder resulting in serious functional impairment, which substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities.
Does the adhd assessment include diagnostic modules?
The assessment did not contain diagnostic modules assessing: adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorders, schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders (although the assessment included a psychotic symptom screen).
Can you be detected with a mental disorder that is not included in the diagnostic module?
People who only have disorders that are not included in these diagnostic modules may not be adequately detected. However, there are known patterns of high comorbidities among mental disorders; these patterns increase the likelihood that people who meet AMI and/or SMI criteria were detected by the study, as they may also have one or more of the disorders assessed in the SCID-I/NP.
How many people with mental illness do not receive mental health treatment?
About 3 in 5 people ( 63%) with a history of mental illness do not receive mental health treatment while incarcerated in state and federal prisons. Less than half of people ( 45%) with a history of mental illness receive mental health treatment while held in local jails.
How many emergency department visits are there for mental health?
Mental illness and substance use disorders are involved in 1 out of every 8 emergency department visits by a U.S. adult (estimated 12 million visits) Mood disorders are the most common cause of hospitalization for all people in the U.S. under age 45 ( after excluding hospitalization relating to pregnancy and birth)
How much money does mental illness cost the economy?
Across the U.S. economy, serious mental illness causes $193.2 billion in lost earnings each year. 20.5% of people experiencing homelessness in the U.S. have a serious mental health condition. 37% of adults incarcerated in the state and federal prison system have a diagnosed mental illness.
How many people have mental illness in 2019?
5.2 % of U.S. adults experienced serious mental illness in 2019 (13.1 million people). This represents 1 in 20 adults.
How many people in prison have mental illness?
About 2 in 5 people who are incarcerated have a history of mental illness ( 37% in state and federal prisons and 44% held in local jails). 66% of women in prison reported having a history of mental illness, almost twice the percentage of men in prison.
How many people will receive mental health treatment in 2020?
adults who received mental health treatment or counseling within the previous year from 2002 to 2020. In 2020, it was estimated that around 41.4 million adults in the U.S. received mental health treatment or counseling at some time in the previous year.
What is mental health services?
Mental Health Services is defined as having received inpatient treatment/counseling or outpatient treatment/counseling or having used prescription medication for problems with emotions, nerves, or mental health. Respondents were not to include treatment for drug or alcohol use.
Women Were More Likely Than Men to Have Received Any Mental Health Treatment.
- A little over one in four women (25.6%) received any mental health treatment in the past 12 months, compared with 14.6% of men (Figure 2).
- Women were more likely than men to have taken medication for their mental health (21.2% and 11.5%, respectively) and to have received counseling or therapy from a mental health profess…
- A little over one in four women (25.6%) received any mental health treatment in the past 12 months, compared with 14.6% of men (Figure 2).
- Women were more likely than men to have taken medication for their mental health (21.2% and 11.5%, respectively) and to have received counseling or therapy from a mental health professional (12.1%...
Definitions
- Any mental health treatment, past 12 months: A composite measure of adults who reported having taken medication for their mental health, received counseling or therapy from a mental health professional, or both in the past 12 months. Race and Hispanic origin: Adults categorized as Hispanic may be of any race or combination of races. Adults categorized as non-Hispanic wh…
Data Source and Methods
- Data from the 2020 NHIS were used for this analysis. NHIS is a nationally representative household survey of the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population. It is conducted continuously throughout the year by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). Interviews are typically conducted in respondents’ homes, but follow-ups to complete interviews may be conducted ove…
About The Authors
- Emily Terlizzi and Tina Norris are with the National Center for Health Statistics, Division of Health Interview Statistics.
References
- Terlizzi EP, Zablotsky B. Mental health treatment among adults: United States, 2019. NCHS Data Brief, no 380. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2020.
- Vahratian A, Blumberg SJ, Terlizzi EP, Schiller JS. Symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder and use of mental health care among adults during the COVID-19 pandemic—United States, August 2020–Feb...
- Terlizzi EP, Zablotsky B. Mental health treatment among adults: United States, 2019. NCHS Data Brief, no 380. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2020.
- Vahratian A, Blumberg SJ, Terlizzi EP, Schiller JS. Symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder and use of mental health care among adults during the COVID-19 pandemic—United States, August 2020–Feb...
- Eaton NR, Keyes KM, Krueger RF, Balsis S, Skodol AE, Markon KE, et al. An invariant dimensional liability model of gender differences in mental disorder prevalence: Evidence from a national sample....
- MacKenzie CS, Gekoski WL, Knox VJ. Age, gender, and the underutilization of mental health services: The influence of help-seeking attitudes. Aging Ment Health 10(6):574–82. 2006.
Suggested Citation
- Terlizzi EP, Norris T. Mental health treatment among adults: United States, 2020. NCHS Data Brief, no 419. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2021. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.15620/cdc:110593external icon.
Key Findings
Women Were More Likely Than Men to Have Received Any Mental Health Treatment.
- Nearly one in four women received any mental health treatment (24.7%) in the past 12 months, compared with 13.4% of men (Figure 2).
- Women were more likely than men to have taken medication for their mental health (20.6% and 10.7%, respectively) and to have received counseling or therapy from a mental health professional (11.7%...
Summary
- In 2019, 19.2% of U.S. adults received any mental health treatment in the past 12 months, including 15.8% who had taken prescription medication for their mental health and 9.5% who had received counseling or therapy from a mental health professional. While the percentage of adults who had taken medication for their mental health increased with age,...
Definitions
- Any mental health treatment: A composite measure of adults who reported having taken medication for their mental health, received counseling or therapy from a mental health professional, or both in the past 12 months. Race and Hispanic origin: Adults categorized as Hispanic may be of any race or combination of races. Adults categorized as non-Hispanic white …
Data Source and Methods
- Data from the 2019 NHIS were used for this analysis. NHIS is a nationally representative household survey of the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population. It is conducted continuously throughout the year by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). Interviews are conducted in respondents’ homes, but follow-ups to complete interviews may be conducted over the teleph…
About The Authors
- Emily P. Terlizzi and Benjamin Zablotsky are with the National Center for Health Statistics, Division of Health Interview Statistics.
References
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Healthexternal...
- American Psychiatric Association. DSM–IV: Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 4th ed. Washington, DC. 1994.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Healthexternal...
- American Psychiatric Association. DSM–IV: Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 4th ed. Washington, DC. 1994.
- Eaton NR, Keyes KM, Krueger RF, Balsis S, Skodol AE, Markon KE, et al. An invariant dimensional liability model of gender differences in mental disorder prevalence: Evidence from a national sample....
- MacKenzie CS, Gekoski WL, Knox VJ. Age, gender, and the underutilization of mental health services: The influence of help-seeking attitudes. Aging Ment Health 10(6):574–82. 2006.
Suggested Citation
- Terlizzi EP, Zablotsky B. Mental health treatment among adults: United States, 2019. NCHS Data Brief, no 380. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2020.