An estimated 57.7 million Americans, approximately 1 in 4, suffer from a mental disorder.
Mental disorders are medical conditions that can range from mild depression to more serious conditions such as anxiety disorder, major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and borderline personality disorder. They effect a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others, and daily functioning, making it difficult for sufferers to cope with the ordinary demands of life.
Individuals who suffer a mental disorder represent all ages, races, religions and income levels. While mental disorders are treatable, the stigma associated with them can prevent individuals from seeking treatment. Without treatment, sufferers are more likely to suffer severe consequences such as unemployment, substance abuse, homelessness, inappropriate incarceration and suicide.
Mental disorders are the leading cause of disability in the U.S. and Canada for ages 15-44. For society, the cost of untreated mental illness is more than 100 billion dollars each year in the United States alone. The World Health Organization, in the Global Burden of Disease study reveals that mental illness, including suicide, accounts for over 15 percent of the burden of disease in established market economies, such as the United States. This is more than the disease burden caused by all cancers. |
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