FAQs
Having a mental illness can make it challenging to live everyday life and maintain recovery. Beyond the individual, these challenges ripple out through our families, our communities, and our world.
PERSON
- People with depression have a 40% higher risk of developing cardiovascular and metabolic diseases than the general population. People with serious mental illness are nearly twice as likely to develop these conditions.
- 33.5% of U.S. adults with mental illness also experienced a substance use disorder in 2021 (19.4 million individuals)
- The rate of unemployment is higher among U.S. adults who have mental illness (7.4%) compared to those who do not (4.6%)
- High school students with significant symptoms of depression are more than twice as likely to drop out compared to their peers
- Students aged 6-17 with mental, emotional or behavioral concerns are 3x more likely to repeat a grade.
COMMUNITY
- 21.1% of people experiencing homelessness in the U.S. have a serious mental health condition
- Among people in the U.S. under age 18, depressive disorders are the most common cause of hospitalization (after excluding hospitalization relating to pregnancy and birth)
- Among people in the U.S. aged 18-44, psychosis spectrum and mood disorders account for nearly 600,000 hospitalizations each year
- 19.7% of U.S. Veterans experienced a mental illness in 2020 (3.9 million people)
- 9.6% of Active Component service members in the U.S. military experienced a mental health or substance use condition in 2021
- Across the U.S. economy, serious mental illness causes $193.2 billion in lost earnings each year
WORLD
- Depression and anxiety disorders cost the global economy $1 trillion in lost productivity each year
- Depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide
Statistics provided by NAMI https://www.nami.org/mhstats