In the U.S., 5.2 percent of adults experienced a serious mental illness, and rates have risen every year since 2011, according to data from the HHS’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
A breakdown of the prevalence of mental illness in U.S. adults:
|
Age group |
Population with mental illness |
Population with serious mental illness |
|
All adults 18+ |
52.9 million (21 percent) |
14.2 million (5.6 percent) |
|
Age 18-25 |
10.2 million (30.6 percent) |
3.3 million (9.7 percent) |
|
Age 26-49 |
25.7 million (25.3 percent) |
7 million (6.9 percent) |
|
Age 50+ |
16.9 million (14.5 percent) |
4 million (3.4 percent) |
More information on serious mental illness, using data from the American Psychiatric Association:
- Of the 14.2 million adults with serious mental illness, 34.5 percent did not receive treatment. Here is a breakdown of the reasons they provided:
-
- 46.9 percent said they could not afford treatment.
-
- 24.8 percent said they did not know where to go for treatment.
-
- 23.7 percent said they thought they could manage their illness without treatment.
-
- 19.9 percent were concerned about being committed to a psychiatric hospital and taking medication.
-
- 19 percent said they did not have time to receive treatment.
-
- 17.1 percent said health insurance does not pay enough for mental health services.
-
- 7.6 percent said health insurance does not cover any mental health services.
-
- 11.9 percent said they do not have insurance coverage.
- The economic effect of serious mental illness in the U.S. is $317.6 billion per year. Here is how those costs break down:
-
- Loss of earnings: $193.2 billion
-
- Healthcare costs: $100.1 billion
-
- Disability benefits: $24.3 billion
- Of adults with serious mental illness in the U.S., 3.6 million have a co-occurring substance use disorder. Here is a breakdown by age:
|
Age group |
Population with co-occurring substance use disorder |
|
Age 18-25 |
958,000 |
|
Age 26-49 |
2 million |
|
Age 50+ |
607,000 |
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