“Mental health issues are the biggest unmet need of our time. Isn’t it time we took mental health as seriously as we take physical health?”
The Mental Health Association of Greater Chicago was founded in 1957, dedicated to making mental health a top priority in our schools, healthcare systems, homes and communities. I believe in the organization’s vision that is to significantly reduce the stigma and prejudice associated with mental health diagnoses. In my practice, I provide assessment, early intervention, short and longer term therapy to help adults, children, and families develop emotional problem solving skills – increasing awareness that mental health is critical to overall wellness.
Consider:
- 50% of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14.
- 75% of all mental illness begin by age 24.
- On average there is a delay of 8-10 years between the onset of symptoms and intervention.
- Suicide is the third leading cause of death for youth aged 10-24.
- 90% of those who died by suicide had an underlying mental illness.
Millions of Americans are affected by mental health disorders. According to the National Institute for Mental Health in 2015, 18.5%, or 1 in 5 adults experience mental illness.
Mood Disorders
- 6% of adults experience a bipolar disorder.
- 9% of adults have experienced at least one major depressive disorder episode.
- Nearly 50% of those diagnosed with depression are also diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.
- 5% of the population experience persistent depressive disorder (PDD)(formerly called dysthymia).
Anxiety Disorders
- 18% of adults have experienced an anxiety disorder.
- 1% of the population experience generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
- 7% of the population experience panic disorder (PD)
- 8% of the population experience social anxiety disorder (SAD)
- 5% of the population have experienced post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- 1% of the population is affected by obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- 7% of the population by specific phobias.
- 9% of adults suffering from anxiety receive treatment.
- Adults with anxiety disorders are 3-5 times more likely to go to the doctor for medical visits.
- 2 million adults in the U.S. have experienced a substance use disorder, 50.5% had co-occurring mental illnesses.
Attention Disorders
- Approximately 11% of children ages 5-17 are diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD); or Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity (ADHD).
- Less than 20 % of adults with ADD/ADHD have been diagnosed.
- 60% of children diagnosed with ADD/ADHD continue to meet diagnostic criteria as adults.
Consequences of lack of treatment:
- Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide.
- Lack of treatment represents $193.2 billion in lost wages.
- 60% of adults did not receive mental health services in the year prior to diagnosis.
- Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the U.S.
(The statistics reported above are from the National Institute for Mental Health, and the Center for Disease Control, 2013-15).