How common is mental health treatment in the US?
Emily P. Terlizzi, M.P.H., and Benjamin Zablotsky, Ph.D. 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.
What percentage of adults get mental health counseling?
The percentage of adults who had received counseling or therapy from a mental health professional in the past 12 months decreased with age, from 11.6% among those aged 18–44 to 9.1% among those aged 45–64 to 5.7% among those aged 65 and over. Women were more likely than men to have received any mental health treatment.
How many people don’t receive the mental health services they need?
Even in states with the greatest access, over 38% are not receiving the mental health services they need. Among youth with severe depression, only 27.3% received consistent treatment. 23.6% of adults with a mental illness reported an unmet need for treatment in 2017-2018. This number has not declined since 2011.
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.
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.
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 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 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 is the number 1 mental illness?
Depression. Impacting an estimated 300 million people, depression is the most-common mental disorder and generally affects women more often than men.
What country has the 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 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.
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 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 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%).
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%.
How many people with depression did not receive mental health treatment in 2017?
There is still unmet need for mental health treatment among youth and adults. 60% of youth with major depression did not receive any mental health treatment in 2017-2018. Even in states with the greatest access, over 38% are not receiving the mental health services they need.
What are the most common mental health issues in 2020?
People screening at risk for mental health conditions are struggling most with loneliness or isolation. From April to September 2020, among people who screened with moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety or depression, 70 percent reported that one of the top three things contributing to their mental health concerns was loneliness or isolation .
What is the purpose of mental health snapshot?
To provide a snapshot of mental health status among youth and adults for policy and program planning, analysis, and evaluation; To track changes in prevalence of mental health issues and access to mental health care; To understand how changes in national data reflect the impact of legislation and policies; and.
How many people have taken a screening for MHA?
This year’s report includes a spotlight on the impact of COVID-19 on mental health, using the over 1.5 million people who have taken a screen on MHA Screening from January to September 2020. From these screens we have found: The number of people looking for help with anxiety and depression has skyrocketed.
How many youth have depression?
Youth mental health is worsening. 9.7% of youth in the U.S. have severe major depression, compared to 9.2% in last year’s dataset. This rate was highest among youth who identify as more than one race, at 12.4%.
How many people took the anxiety screen in 2020?
From January to September 2020, 315,220 people took the anxiety screen, a 93 percent increase over the 2019 total number of anxiety screens. 534,784 people took the depression screen, a 62 percent increase over the 2019 total number of depression screens.
Why use national survey data?
Using national survey data allows us to measure a community’s mental health needs, access to care, and outcomes regardless of the differences between the states and their varied mental health policies. Rankings explore which states are more effective at addressing issues related to mental health and substance use.
What percentage of Americans have depression?
Approximately 9.5% of American adults ages 18 and over, will suffer from a depressive illness (major depression, bipolar disorder, or dysthymia) each year.#N#Women are nearly twice as likely to suffer from major depression than men. However, men and women are equally likely to develop bipolar disorder.#N#While major depression can develop at any age, the average age at onset is the mid-20s.#N#With bipolar disorder, which affects approximately 2.6% of Americans age 18 and older in a given year -- the average age at onset for a first manic episode is during the early 20s. 1 Women are nearly twice as likely to suffer from major depression than men. However, men and women are equally likely to develop bipolar disorder. 2 While major depression can develop at any age, the average age at onset is the mid-20s. 3 With bipolar disorder, which affects approximately 2.6% of Americans age 18 and older in a given year -- the average age at onset for a first manic episode is during the early 20s.
How many people are affected by schizophrenia?
Approximately 1% of Americans are affected by schizophrenia. In most cases, schizophrenia first appears in men during their late teens or early 20s. In women, schizophrenia often first appears during their 20s or early 30s.
What is the average age for a manic episode?
With bipolar disorder, which affects approximately 2.6% of Americans age 18 and older in a given year -- the average age at onset for a first manic episode is during the early 20s.
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.".
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.