
What percentage of adults get mental health treatment?
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.
How common is mental illness in the US?
Mental Illness Mental illnesses are common in the United States. Nearly one in five U.S. adults live with a mental illness (51.5 million in 2019). Mental illnesses include many different conditions that vary in degree of severity, ranging from mild to moderate to severe.
What is the prevalence of untreated mental illness?
Over half (56%) of adults with a mental illness receive no treatment. Over 27 million individuals experiencing a mental illness are going untreated. The state prevalence of untreated adults with mental illness ranges from 42.6% in Vermont to 67.1% in Hawaii.
How many people go to jail for mental illness each year?
About 2 million times each year, people with serious mental illness are booked into jails. 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.
What percent of adults with a mental illness receive treatment?
Mental Health Services — SMI In 2020, among the 14.2 million adults with SMI, 9.1 million (64.5%) received mental health treatment in the past year. More females with SMI (69.9%) received mental health treatment than males with SMI (54.9%).
What percentage of adults with severe mental conditions are not receiving treatment?
• 45 percent untreated In 2010, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) estimated that 40 percent of adults with schizophrenia and 51 percent of individuals with severe bipolar disorder receive no treatment in a one-year period.
What percentage of US adults are estimated to have a serious mental disorder in any given year 1 point?
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 percentage of mental illness is treatable?
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 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.
How many adults in the US experience a serious mental illness in a given year?
Consequences Impact Fact: 43.8 million adults experience mental illness in a given year. 1 in 5 adults in America experience a mental illness. Nearly 1 in 25 (10 million) adults in America live with a serious mental illness.
At what age does 50% of all lifetime mental ill health Begin and 75% by what age?
50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% by age 24.
What percentage of the world has mental health issues?
Mental health and substance use disorders affect 13% of the world's population.
Which mental disorder has the highest mortality rate?
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a common eating disorder with the highest mortality rate of all psychiatric diseases. However, few studies have examined inpatient characteristics and treatment for AN.
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 many people in US receive mental health treatment?
Mental health treatment or counseling among U.S. adults 2002-2020. In 2020, around 41.4 million adults in the United States received treatment or counseling for their mental health within the past year. Such treatment included inpatient or outpatient treatment or counseling, or the use of prescription medication.
Is treatment effective for mental illness?
In many cases, a combination of treatments works best. If you have a mild mental illness with well-controlled symptoms, treatment from your primary care provider may be sufficient. However, often a team approach is appropriate to make sure all your psychiatric, medical and social needs are met.
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?
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 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 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 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)
Is depression a cardiovascular disease?
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.
Adult Ranking 2022
States that are ranked 1-10 have lower prevalence of mental illness and higher rates of access to care for adults. States that are ranked 39-51 indicate that adults have higher prevalence of mental illness and lower rates of access to care.
Adult Prevalence of Mental Illness (AMI) 2022
19.86% of adults are experiencing a mental illness. Equivalent to nearly 50 million Americans.
Adult with Substance Use Disorder 2022
7.74% of adults in America reported having a substance use disorder in the past year.
Adults with Serious Thoughts of Suicide 2022
The percentage of adults reporting serious thoughts of suicide is 4.58%. The estimated number of adults with serious suicidal thoughts is over 11.4 million - an increase of 664,000 people from last year's data set.
Adults with Ami Who Are Uninsured 2022
11.1% (over 5.5 million) of adults with a mental illness remain uninsured.
Adults with Ami Reporting Unmet Need 2022
Almost a quarter (24.7%) of all adults with a mental illness reported that they were not able to receive the treatment they needed. This number has not declined since 2011.
Adults with Disability Who Could Not See a Doctor Due to Costs 2022
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 12% of people in the U.S. had a cognitive disability, even when adjusted for age. The percentage of people with cognitive disability ranged from 8.9% in some states to 19.6%.

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.