One in six adults has mental illness
Posted on 21. Oct, 2009 by kchristieh in health, startling statistics, videos
According to BringChange2Mind.org,
1 in 6 adults and almost 1 in 10 children suffer from a diagnosable mental illness.
It sounds high, but when I think about it, it rings true. Think of how many adults you know who take anti-depressants, and how many children you know who have ADD or autism. It’s very sad that so many people suffer from mental illness.
The goal of BringChange2Mind is to destigmatize mental illness. They’ve made a great series of ads that shows teams of people who care about each other, where one person has mental illness and the other doesn’t. Some are famous, like BringChange2Mind co-founder Glenn Close, who’s featured with her sister, who has a bipolar disorder. BringChange2Mind is also a resource for people with mental illness to find resources and support.
I hope these videos get lots of airplay. There are lots of misconceptions about and biases against people with mental illness. Everyone deserves love and respect.
i love the message, and i love the video.clearly says that we all walk together in life – while we each have our own individual work to do, love from others is the key to that work.
thank you for sharing
Dittto the above comment.
And, from a canine perspective, it’s probably higher for adults.
1 in 6 adults? Based on what? This must be a bad joke.
Get a load of this: Leonardo Da Vinci Einstein, Edison, Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Vincent Van Gogh, and Winston Churchill would have all been put on some medication in their youth, if they lived today. But where would humanity be, if we just turned everyone into a smiling zombie? How much of our civilization, culture, and technical innovation are the creation of such “crazies”? Where is the line between being “crazy” and exceptionally genius? And aren’t they correlated?
Well, I know; mental illnesses do exist, and they are a serious problem. I do not mean to ridicule or stigmatize it. Actually some of these great minds that I mentioned above were tormented by pain and really needed help. But 1 in 6 adults? This is psychiatry running amok.
I suppose that this data comes from the psychiatric community. I am deeply skeptical. I am one of those ‘blessed’ who can proudly announce that “some of my best friends are psychiatrists”, and ALL of them, based on my unscientific observation, with NO EXCEPTION, are a weird group of individuals (albeit intelligent, no doubt). And yes, they are ALL self medicated, and I am often shocked by how easily they are willing to put everyone, including their own kids on psychiatric medications.
So, the question is how did our parents’ generation function with all their “mental illnesses”? How did they leave for us such a rich inheritance? They fought the wars, they built roads, power generation stations, dams, bridges, universities, entire cities, space shuttles, a whole civilization, and what do you know!!! They were mental cases, at lease 1 in six. Are we doing better then them with all our medications? Are we happier? More successful? More creative?
Someone needs to put a stop to this madness of over medication. We were not created to always be happy and indulgent. Is there any wonder why our kids turn to mind altering drugs that are far more benign than any of those prescribed by doctors?
Here’s the deal: Mental Illness is an ILLNESS! Not something made up or hyped. My sister has been diagnosed with major depression with psychosis and I’m telling you she was tormented by her visions. It probably came on in early adulthood, hence the self-medication, but she now is on anti-psychotics and living a relatively normal life. Don’t deny the need for real help. And don’t hark back to our parent’s lives. We are a knowledgeable, progressive generation. We need to address the problems, not sweep them under the carpet as has been the norm for generations because mental illness carries such a stigma. Don’t be fooled by the hype. Medication can sometimes be the only relief for a tortured life.
Walk a mile in my sister’s shoes.
In the past 6 months, 4 teenagers from Palo Alto’s Gunn High School (on of the top high schools in the country) have committed suicide (all by walking in front of the Cal Train). These kids were not loners or ‘goths’ or any of the stereotypes. But apparently all had shown signs of depression for over a year. It is certainly a wakeup call in this community to the reality of depression and mental illness. It is really a serious issue that is costing precious young lives. My heart breaks for all those families.
A friend from high school days, grew up here in a great family. He was always bright, and graduated Valedictorian of his class. He went to UC Berkeley, with a bright future ahead of him. But he ended up checking himself into a mental hospital for treatment for depression. When he was discharged, he seemed to be doing very well for a few months, and then we learned he had taken his own life. He was a perfectionist, who couldn’t not handle perfect scores in every area of life. It devastated his family and all his friends who cared so much about him. I look at the amount of pressure that is placed on our youth just to get into the college of their choice, and see the pressure that causes them to feel guilt when enjoying the time of life that is supposed to be lighthearted and fun. I think the price that our kids may have to pay is too high. Achievement and success in life should be defined by so much more than perfect test scores, and the “right” college, degree, etc. Is this the plague of upper class America?
This opinion of 1 in 6 adults sounds really high. On my small cul-de-sac with only 8 houses, that means there are 6.83 residents with a mental illness on my cul-de-sac alone. With the exception of folks like Kerry’s sister, it is hard to define “mental illness”.
Some people tick differently, but function, contribute and are self sufficent. One doctor will diagnose mental illness and throw medication at the “situation”, while another might suggest sleep, exercise and better diet. Where is the checklist that determines if you are “normal”? Would it be based on opinion, society “norms” or fact?
Do homosexuals suffer from mental illness? Depends on who you talk to…
I won’t debate the numbers: neither of us examined the study methodology. What is important is to not stigmatize people with mental illness, and to give them the resources they need to lead happier lives.
This is from the National Institute for Mental Health site:
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/index.shtml
Statistics
“Mental disorders are common in the United States and internationally. An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older — about one in four adults — suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. When applied to the 2004 U.S. Census residential population estimate for ages 18 and older, this figure translates to 57.7 million people. Even though mental disorders are widespread in the population, the main burden of illness is concentrated in a much smaller proportion — about 6 percent, or 1 in 17 — who suffer from a serious mental illness. In addition, mental disorders are the leading cause of disability in the U.S. and Canada for ages 15-44. Many people suffer from more than one mental disorder at a given time. Nearly half (45 percent) of those with any mental disorder meet criteria for 2 or more disorders, with severity strongly related to comorbidity.”
Until you have some one close to you suffer with a mental illness, you just cannot understand the effect it has on families, the individual, and our society. The stigma is horrible and we must do all we can to educate people that these are illnesses, not choices. Our parent’s generation had them as well, but it was not acceptable to speak about it, so most families suffered in silence. Thanks for posting this, Kathy.
Also, many highly functioning “road builders” and scientists, astronauts, doctors, airline pilots, suffer mental illness — contrary to the images of “mental cases” in padded rooms. People live with mental illness, but it is just as painful as cancer and deserves the same level of treatment and understanding.
Thank you for the NIMH stats, Erica. They are based on a huge population sample. The numbers quoted should be no more alarming than those of breast cancer if one wasnts to look at one’s neighborhood as a basis for comparison. The anti-psychiatry Scientology take on the treatment of people with mental illnesses, (a preferable nomenclature to “the mentally ill”) is not only dangerous, but uninformed. Effective medical treatment of mental illness, which can and does easily incorporate therapy, the holistic practice of exercise, rest, and a better diet, does not repress one’s real “being”, rather it opens the door to the freedom to be ones’ true self. Furthermore, over the decades science *has* advanced treatment protocol, and the DSM IV *does* provide a useful and effective diagnostic manual. Furthermore, to say that psychiatrists, and usually psychologists are also included, are weird, is not only puerile, but cliched. Kathy is right saying that stigma is the greatest enemy. The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI)has spent years fighting for compassion and understanding of psychiatric disorders. Check out their website and their Stigma Busters newsletters.
Does this count?
http://www.amazon.com/Liberal-Mind-Psychological-Political-Madness/dp/097795630X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1260777171&sr=8-1#noop
Matt, I will agree with you that many people have a distorted view of what mental illness is. To all reasonable people, homosexuality and liberalism are clearly not mental illnesses, just as heterosexuality and conservatism are not. However, that is exactly the point of initiatives like BringChange2Mind.org, to help clear up some of the misconceptions about mental illness.
As someone who has been diagnosed with clinical depression in the past, I have a pretty good idea of why the mental health statistics seem overblown to you. It is because many people with mental illnesses suffer in silence.
For 4 months before I began taking anti-depressants, I would spend several hours a day crying or suffering from panic attacks. These symptoms occurred during a time in my life when to all outside appearances I was successful and happy. I was finishing my junior year at a top ranked engineering school, had a steady and loving boyfriend, good relationship with my family and friends, and had just landed a well paying internship with one of the best chemical companies in the world. My loved ones and I were all physically healthy and honestly, my life was going exactly where I wanted it to go.
However, much of my day was spent in a state of mental agony. It is important to remember that depression (as with all mental illness) is a disease. Sometimes it appears to occur randomly, just as cancer does. For example, we have managed to isolate things which contribute to high rates of cancer, such as smoking and exposure to chemicals like anthrax. But we are yet to come up with a sure-fire way of avoiding cancer. It is the same scenario with depression. We know that erratic sleep schedules and lack of exercise may contribute to depression, but avoiding those things won’t guarantee that you avoid depression. So even though everything in my life was going right and I was taking care of myself, I was still sick and needed treatment.
By four months into it, my family and boyfriend had definitely realized my pain. One day, I mustered up the courage to tell my best friend (and roommate) about it. Her reaction was one of complete astonishment. She had not known, because, as she said, I had \always acted so happy and put together.\
Just for the record, my roommate is a person who had seen me every day. We told each other everything, from what we wanted out of life, what we thought of politics, children, sex, marriage, men, women, education, food, clothes, philosophy, family, and struggles with ourselves and others…basically everything. We talked every day, and yet she didn’t know about my internal struggle with depression. That is the extent to which people with mental illness feel ashamed and embarrassed to admit their problems, even to people who are on their side.
The reason you are surprised that so many people on your street may have a mental illness is because they hide it from you. And the reason they hide is because they are afraid that you will react as you have already done. They are afraid that you will say that their problem doesn’t exist, just as many people deny that homosexuality exists. It is a very good comparison actually…just like \gayness,\ many people think that \depressedness\ is something you can fix if only you have the right attitude about it. The same goes for many other mental disorders, such as bipolar disorders and ADHD. I can guarantee you, these illness may sometimes be over-diagnosed, but they are definitely not made up. And medication is not an “easy out” for people who are feeling “sad” or have a “bad life” and are “socially inept.” I’ve been sad, I’ve been upset, and I’ve even been socially inept at times. But that is not the same as being depressed. Just like being energetic and lively are not the same as having ADHD.
For some time, I thought that I was a failure because I could not conquer my symptoms without anti-depressants. That sense of failure was what delayed me from getting the treatment that I desperately needed. It was similar to the self-loathing that many gays and lesbians experience when they are taught to believe that their inherent sexual desires are evil. Depression is a part of who I am, and I am not less of a person because of it. No amount of good diet, exercise, meditation, self motivation, or sleep have ever changed that, though those are an important part of treatment and should always go hand in hand with medications. We could discuss all day whether prescription drugs are the right way to treat mental illness (especially for children, teens, and young adults), but I think the simple answer is that sometimes they are and sometimes they aren’t. Medications definitely beat suicide or violence to self and others. And it is important that mentally ill patients realize they have the right to seek treatment if they need it. Thank goodness I had people in my life to help convince me that it was ok to seek help, or who knows if I would be here to write this comment.
Oh, and a little aside comment…I do tend to \tick differently\ than other people, or at least I flatter myself that I do. But that has nothing to do with being mentally ill. Definitely uniqueness is something not always valued by society when it should be celebrated and sought after… but people don’t seek medication because they are \different.\ They seek medication because it improves the quality of their life. I feel like anti-depressants allowed me to discover and be more confident in who I am, instead of turning me into a lifeless, personality-less drone. It allows the person time away from the pain so that they can finally take a clear look at themselves. Maybe you are the one with misconceptions about what mental illness actually is. I would encourage you to visit a mental hospital and to see whether those people are simply \eccentric,\ or whether the have a real and well defined problem which should be treated.
i was drifting off to sleep the other night and heard one of these commercials, immediately woke up and was deeply moved b/c my dad was mentally ill and died just recently, in november. the stigma was so strong he did not get help until it was too late. he was 61 years old and had suffered most of his life, unbeknownst even to us, his family.
thanks for the post b/c i was so groggy all i could remember was the 1 in 6 tagline. i believe it is the truth. and i am grateful that we are becoming more knowledgeable about it.