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