Worldwide, more than 70% of young people and adults with mental illness do not receive any mental health treatment from health care staff. 1 The difference between true prevalence and treated prevalence can be called the treatment gap. 2 This article describes the roles that stigma and discrimination contribute to the treatment gap 3,4 and assesses the evidence that public health approaches to stigma and discrimination can facilitate access to mental health care.
What percentage of people with mental health issues don’t seek treatment?
A study by the World Health Organization, or WHO, found that between 30 and 80 percent of people with mental health issues don’t seek treatment.
How many people seek professional help for mental health issues?
The percentages ranged from 45% not seeking professional help in the U.S and Australia to 81% not doing so in Nigeria. On the other hand, 16% of those without a clinical-level mental disorder or at risk for one still sought help for some psychological issue or challenge they were facing. In the United States, 21% of respondents indicated doing so.
Are women more likely to have received any mental health treatment?
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 ).
What percentage of adults take medication for their mental health?
The percentage of adults who had taken medication for their mental health in the past 12 months was higher among those aged 45–64 (17.6%) and 65 and over (17.7%), compared with those aged 18–44 (13.6%).
What percentage of people seek mental health treatment?
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.
What percentage of mental health issues go untreated?
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 51 percent of adults in the U.S. with bipolar disorder and 40 percent with schizophrenia were untreated during a one-year study period. For any mental illness, the statistics are even worse: Just 43 percent of people with mental illness received treatment in 2016.
Are more people seeking help for mental health?
Comment: Nearly half of American households have had someone seek mental health treatment this year, but many still perceive cost and lack of insurance coverage as barriers to seeking help, according to a recent national poll by APA's Practice Directorate.
How many people do not seek treatment for mental health?
A study by the World Health Organization, or WHO, found that between 30 and 80 percent of people with mental health issues don't seek treatment.
Why mental health is not taken seriously?
Perhaps because mental illnesses are simply not as concrete as physical illnesses, they are often not taken as seriously. Contrary to this popular belief, mental illnesses are actual diseases that must be treated as seriously as a physical disease, such as cancer or heart disease.
What percentage of population is mentally ill?
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.
What are the statistics of mental health?
21% of U.S. adults experienced mental illness in 2020 (52.9 million people). This represents 1 in 5 adults. 5.6% of U.S. adults experienced serious mental illness in 2020 (14.2 million people). This represents 1 in 20 adults.
What is the success rate of therapy?
Research shows that most people who receive psychotherapy experience symptom relief and are better able to function in their lives. About 75 percent of people who enter psychotherapy show some benefit from it.
How often do people go to therapy?
Therapy has been found to be most productive when incorporated into a client's lifestyle for approximately 12-16 sessions, most typically delivered in once weekly sessions for 45 minutes each. For most folks that turns out to be about 3-4 months of once weekly sessions.
What are three reasons that someone would not seek help for a mental disorder?
8 Reasons Why People Don't Get Treatment for Mental Illness Fear and shame. One of the most common reasons for not seeking help is fear and shame. ... Lack of insight. ... Limited awareness. ... Feelings of inadequacy. ... Distrust. ... Hopelessness. ... Unavailability. ... Practical barriers.
What population is most affected by mental illness?
Young adults aged 18-25 years had the highest prevalence of SMI (9.7%) compared to adults aged 26-49 years (6.9%) and aged 50 and older (3.4%). The prevalence of SMI was highest among the adults reporting two or more races (9.9%), followed by American Indian / Alaskan Native (AI/AN) adults (6.6%).
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 profess…
- 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, the percentage who had re…
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.