Mental Health Statistics
Nearly 50 percent of those seeking mental health care rely on
self-payment to pay for the costs of the treatment. (American
Journal of Psychiatry, September 1994) More than 51 million
Americans have a mental disorder in single year, although only
about 8 million (16 percent) seek treatment. (NIMH & CMHS, 1994)
During the course of any given year, while more than 40 million
adult Americans are affected by one or more mental disorders,
6.5 million Americans are disabled by severe mental illnesses.
(NIMH, 1990) Studies indicate that 1 in 5 children and
adolescents (20 percent) may have a diagnosable disorder.
Estimates of the number of children who have mental disorders
range from 7.7 million to 12.8 million. (CMHS, 1993). These
youth are estimated to have severe emotional or behavioral
problems that significantly interfere with their daily
functioning. Less than one-third of the children under age 18
with a serious emotional disturbance receive mental health
services. Often, the services are inappropriate. (Children's
Defense Fund) (CMHS-Mental Health, U.S., 1994) An estimated 19.9
million Americans-8.8 percent of the population experience
phobias. About 9.1 million-5.1 percent-live with major
depression. Some 3.9 million have obsessive compulsive disorder;
2.0 million have schizophrenia; 2.4 million have panic disorder;
and 2.0 million experience bipolar disorders. (NMHA, 1993),
(Mental Health, U.S., 1994) As least two thirds of elderly
nursing home residents have a diagnosis of a mental disorder
such as major depression. (NIMH, 1990). Up to 25 percent of the
population with AIDS will develop AIDS-related cognitive
dysfunction. Two-thirds of all people with AIDS will develop
neuropsychiatric problems. (Mental Health Liaison Group, 1993) A
majority of the 29,000 Americans who commit suicide each year
are believed to have a mental disorder. Suicide is the eighth
leading cause of death in the U.S. and the third leading cause
of death among people aged 15 to 24. (NIMH, 1994) Nearly
one-third of the nation's estimated 600,000 homeless Individuals
are believed to be severely mentally ill adults. (CMHS, 1992)
More than 1 in 14 jail Inmates has a mental illness. Twenty-nine
percent of the nation's jails routinely hold people with mental
illnesses without any criminal charges. (National Alliance for
the Mentally III and Public Citizens Health Research Group,
1992) Economic Costs Mental Illnesses impose a multibillion
dollar burden on the economy each year. total economic costs
amounted to $147.8 billion In 1990. More than 31 percent of
those costs-W.6 billion-are for anxiety disorder. (The Economic
Burden of Affective Disorders, Dorothy P. Rice, Sc.D ., and
Leonard Miller, Ph.D., 1993). Direct costs--expenditures for
professional heath care for persons suffering from mental
disorders, including care in mental specialty institutions,
hospitals and nursing homes, physician and other professional
services and prescription drugs-accounted for $67 billion, or
11.4 percent of all personal health care expenditures In 1990.
(Rice and. Miller, 1993) Three independent studies between 1971
and 1985 found that mental health costs remained relatively
constant during the past 20 years, ranging from 9 to 11 percent
of direct treatment costs for health care ( Bazalon Center for
Mental Health Law, 1993). Direct treatment and support costs
comprise 45.3 percent of the total economic costs of mental
disorders. The value of reduced or lost productivity comprise
42.7 percent of the total economic costs of mental disorders.
Mortality costs comprise 8 percent and other related costs,
including expenditure for criminal justice, the value of lost
time due to incarceration and an imputed value for caregiver
services, comprise 4 percent. (Rice and Miller, 1993) Morbidity
costs-the value of goods and services not produced because of
mental disorders-amounted to $63.1 billion for all mental
disorders in 1990. Morbidity costs for anxiety disorders account
for $34.2 billion; for schizophrenia, $10.7 billion. The
morbidity costs for anxiety disorders reflect their prevalence
In the population and the high rate of lost productivity. (Rice
and Miller, 1993) Mortality costs-the current value of lifetime
earnings lost by all who died in 1990 because of mental
disorders-amounted to $11.8 billion In 1990. (Rice and Miller,
1993). Other related costs-the costs in directly related to the
treatment and lost productivity of people with mental
disorders-amounted to $6 billion in 1990 (Rice and Miller, 1993)
For further information on these statistics, contact: Office of
External Liaison, Center for Mental Health Services, 5600
Fishers Lane, Room 13-103, Rockville, MD 20857; Telephone (301)
443-2792; Fax (301) 443-2792 This fact sheet is generously
supported by a grant from the William H. Donner Foundation.
copyright 1997