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Mental Illness Facts
- One in five Americans
will suffer at least one episode of mental illness in their lifetime.
- Eight to twelve percent
of American youth are considered to be "seriously disturbed".
- Schizophrenia strikes
over 1% of the total population, Bipolar Disorder afflicts 2-3%,
and depressive illness disables 5-7%.
- The number one reason
for hospital admissions nation wide is a biological brain disorder
(mental illness). At any moment, people with a mental illness fill
almost 21% of all hospital beds.
- On any given day, approximately
150,000 people with severe mental illness are homeless, living on
the streets or in the public shelters. This accounts for one third
of the homeless population.
- Nearly 90% of all people
who commit suicide suffer from a treatable severe mental illness.
- The treatment success
rate for schizophrenia is 60%, 65% for major depression, and 80%
for bipolar disorder.
- Comparatively, the success
rate for treatment of heart disease ranges from 41-52%.
- Only one in five Americans
in need of mental health treatment is receiving services. Fewer
than half of the individuals with schizophrenia are receiving adequate
care.
- Mental illnesses strike
individuals in the prime of their lives, often during adolescence
and young adulthood. All ages are susceptible, but the young and
the old are especially vulnerable.
- Early identification
and treatment is of vital importance; by getting people the treatment
they need early, recovery is accelerated and the brain is protected
from further harm related to the course of illness.
- Stigma, erodes confidence
that mental disorders are real, treatable health conditions. We
have allowed stigma and a now unwarranted sense of hopelessness
to erect attitudinal, structural and financial barriers to effective
treatment and recovery. It is time to take these barriers down.
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