Treatment FAQ

how many americasn seek treatment for mental hralth disorder

by Winifred Conroy Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago

Full Answer

What percentage of the US population is treated for mental illness?

Mental Health Care Matters. 44.8% of U.S. adults with mental illness received treatment in 2019. 65.5% of U.S. adults with serious mental illness received treatment in 2019. 50.6% of U.S. youth aged 6-17 with a mental health disorder received treatment in 2016.

How common is mental health treatment among older adults?

The percentage of adults who had received any mental health treatment in the past 12 months was lower among those aged 18–44 (18.5%) compared with adults aged 45–64 (20.2%) and 65 and over (19.4%).

What is an estimate for mental health treatment?

Estimates are also presented for any mental health treatment, defined as having taken medication for mental health, received counseling or therapy, or both in the past 12 months. The percentage of adults who had received any mental health treatment varied by age group.

Do 70% of people with mental illness receive no treatment?

Globally, more than 70% of people with mental illness receive no treatment from health care staff.

How many Americans get mental health treatment?

In 2020, among the 14.2 million adults with SMI, 9.1 million (64.5%) received mental health treatment in the past year.

What percent of people receive mental health treatment?

Summary. In 2020, 20.3% of U.S. adults received any mental health treatment in the past 12 months, including 16.5% who had taken prescription medication for their mental health and 10.1% who had received counseling or therapy from a mental health professional.

What percentage of the US deals with 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.

What are the statistics of mental health 2020?

You Are Not Alone 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.

What percentage of the US has mental health issues 2021?

19.00% of adults are experiencing a mental illness. Equivalent to over 47 million Americans. 4.55% are experiencing a severe mental illness. The state prevalence of adult mental illness ranges from 16.14% in New Jersey to 25.25% in Utah.

Which country has best mental health?

Sweden tops our positive mental health index, and with good reason. The Nordic nation ranked high for the percentage of green space, as it plays host to lush coniferous forests that take up the majority of its land providing the perfect environment for relaxation and mental wellbeing.

What country has the highest percentage of mental illness?

The U.S. rate was substantially higher than that of any other country measured, including other industrialized nations such as Belgium, which showed a 12% illness rate. Ukraine had the second highest overall rate of mental illness at 21%.

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%).

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.

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.

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 considered at risk on the DSM-5?

In addition, “at risk” individuals are those reporting at least five clinical symptoms although they may not equate specifically to any single disorder.

Why do people not seek help?

Reasons For Not Seeking Help. Overall, the primary reason respondents offered for not seeking professional help for a clinical disorder was a preference for self-help (36%), where people said they preferred to manage their challenges on their own or didn’t think they needed any mental health treatment.

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 people have mental health issues in 2019?

3.8% of U.S. adults experienced a co-occurring substance use disorder and mental illness in 2019 (9.5 million people) Annual prevalence of mental illness among U.S. adults, by demographic group: Non-Hispanic Asian: 14.4%.

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 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 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 are suffering from mental health issues?

Almost 41% of Americans were struggling with mental health issues stemming from the pandemic, including depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts, according to a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey conducted in June 2020.

Which country ranks first in mental health?

In August of last year, the Commonweath Fund looked at mental health concerns around the world and found the US ranked first among nine nations, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden and the UK.

How to boost mental health?

Exercise naturally creates endorphins, the body's feel-good hormones. Eating healthy, staying away from excess alcohol (a depressant) and getting plenty of sleep will also help your body -- and mind. 5 natural ways to boost your mental health during stressful times. Reach out and talk.

What is the number to call for help with mental health?

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA, has a national helpline -- 800-662-HELP (4357) -- which provides free, confidential treatment referral and information in English and Spanish 24/7, every day of the year.

What is the state of the nation mental health report?

The State of the Nation's Mental Health report is an analysis of health insurance claims from 27 million members enrolled in Anthem's individual, employer-sponsored, Medicare and Medicaid health plans in all 50 states. The report found diagnosis and treatment for mental health services was worse for young children under age 12 and adults over ...

What age group is most likely to report substance use?

Young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 were especially hard hit -- more likely to report substance use than all adults (25% vs. 13%) and suicidal thoughts (26% vs. 11%). "Prior to the pandemic, young adults were already at high risk of poor mental health and substance use disorder, though many did not receive treatment," the KFF report said.

Why don't people go to therapy?

Many people don't choose to go to therapy, said experts, because they believe that makes them "weak" or they feel it would be too invasive. But that's not what therapy is, Eve Byrd, director of the Carter Center's Mental Health Program, told CNN in a prior interview. "Therapy is really an educational activity.".

How many people with mental illness receive no treatment?

Globally, more than 70% of people with mental illness receive no treatment from health care staff. Evidence suggests that factors increasing the likelihood of treatment avoidance or delay before presenting for care include (1) lack of knowledge to identify features of mental illnesses, (2) ignorance about how to access treatment, ...

Did there have to be a reduction in discrimination from mental health professionals?

However, there was no reduction in reports of discrimination from either mental health professionals or physical health care professionals.

Key Findings

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Data from the National Health Interview Survey 1. 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. 2. Women were more lik…
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Women Were More Likely Than Men to Have Received Any Mental Health Treatment.

  1. 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).
  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%...
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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 …
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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…
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About The Authors

  • Emily P. Terlizzi and Benjamin Zablotsky are with the National Center for Health Statistics, Division of Health Interview Statistics.
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References

  1. 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...
  2. American Psychiatric Association. DSM–IV: Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 4th ed. Washington, DC. 1994.
  1. 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...
  2. American Psychiatric Association. DSM–IV: Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 4th ed. Washington, DC. 1994.
  3. 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....
  4. 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.
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