Mental illness is one of the most common health problems for children and adults. However, many people still don’t feel comfortable discussing their disorders.
Here are some mental health stats to show just how prevalent these disorders are around the world.
General Mental Health Stats and Facts 2024
- 1 in every 5 adults will suffer from some form of mental illness in a given year. That’s over 450 million people.
- Over 50% of people will be diagnosed with a mental illness in their lifetime.
- Those with depression have a 40% higher risk of getting cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
- Mood disorders are the most common reason for hospitalization in the US for people 45 years and under.
- 14.3% of deaths worldwide are related to mental health disorders every year.
Mental Health Statistics Worldwide 2024
- 248 million adults suffer from an anxiety disorder. 40 million of those people reside in the US.
- In the US, 2.6% of people have bipolar disorder.
- Around 1% of the US population has schizophrenia. Worldwide, that number is only 32%.
- Approximately 18% of Americans aged 18 to 54 suffer from some form of anxiety.
- 1 in 15 adults has a mental illness and substance abuse problem.
- In England, 4 to 10% of people will experience depression over the course of their lifetime.
- In developing countries, 75% of people with a mental illness go untreated.
- Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in the US and the 10th leading cause of death globally.
Demographic Mental Health Statistics 2024
- Women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with major depression.
- 1 in every 6 teenagers has experienced a major depressive episode.
- Approximately 3 million teenagers have suicidal thoughts each year.
- 1 in 3 adults aged 18 to 25 has a diagnosable mental illness. 1 out of 10 has a serious mental illness.
- 44% of gay, lesbian, or bisexual adults suffer from some form of mental illness.
- Transgender adults are 12x more likely to experience suicidal thoughts.
- According to Test Prep Insight, almost 12% of college students suffer from anxiety.
Mental Health Treatment Stats 2024
- 4.9 million adults in the US are unable to get help for their mental illness.
- The average time between the first symptom and treatment is 11 years.
- The US spends around $187 billion on mental health and substance abuse treatment each year.
- Only 15% of Americans aged 18 to 25 get help for their mental illness.
- 30% of countries currently do not have any sort of mental health treatment program.
- 60% of people with depressive disorder can benefit from the treatment of antidepressants and psychotherapy.
Mental Health Stats During COVID-19
- Anxiety and depression increased by 25% during the first year of the pandemic.
- 41.1% of all American adults reported having symptoms of anxiety and/or depression during this time.
- In 2020, 26.3 million people received mental health services virtually or online.
- 23% of people aged 18 to 25 said that the pandemic had a significant negative impact on their mental well-being.
- 35% of people making $40k or less reported a significant negative impact on their mental health compared to only 17% of people who make over $90k a year.
- During the pandemic, there was a 13% increase in substance abuse problems.
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FAQs
What is the most common mental illness?
1 in 13 people around the world suffers from an anxiety disorder, making it the most common form of mental illness.
There are several different types of anxiety disorder, including Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and Social Phobia.
What age group has the highest rate of mental illness?
Young adults between the age of 18 and 25 have the highest rate of mental illness. 30.6% of people in this age group suffer from some type of mental illness.
The prevalence of mental illness for people aged 26 to 49 is 25.3%, and 14.5% for people older than 50.
What percentage of children have mental health issues?
17.4% of children in the US have been diagnosed with a mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder.
The most common condition is ADHD (9.8%), followed by anxiety (9.4%), behavioral problems (8.9%), and depression (4.4%).
Conclusion
It’s time to change the way people think about mental health.
By opening up the discussion, we can remove the stigma around mental illness and encourage those we love to get help and treatment when needed.
Sources:
- John Hopkins
- National Alliance of Mental Illness
- Mental Health Foundation
- Single Care
- Policy Advice
- World Health Organization
- Kaiser Family Foundation
- Mental Health First Aid
