Mental Health Facts

Everyone wants to lead a well-balanced and productive life. For many people right here in our own community, though, mental illness keeps them from being healthy.

It doesn't have to be this way. There is hope for those who suffer - and for the families affected by mental illnesses.

The following facts will help you better understand mental illnesses.

Did you know:

• Mental illnesses, or psychiatric illnesses, impact about one in every four adults in America every year. Sadly, two-thirds of those adults will not receive the services they need.
• Mental illnesses are medical conditions that come in different types and levels of severity. Depression, post traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and schizophrenia are just a few.
• It is not uncommon for people to suffer from more than one mental disorder at a given time. Forty-five percent of those diagnosed with a mental disorder meet the criteria for two or more disorders.
• Just like other medical conditions, mental illnesses can be successfully treated with medication and some form of therapy. Between 70 and 90 percent of all patients treated with a combination of medication and therapy demonstrate a great reduction of symptoms and improved quality of life.
• Mental illnesses can affect anyone of any age, any race, any religion, or any socioeconomic status. Often, an individual experiences symptoms of mental illness during adolescence or as a young adult. The very young and elderly populations are also susceptible to mental illnesses. Early diagnosis and treatment are critical to helping guide people along the path toward wellness.
• One's upbringing, character or will power has nothing to do with the onset of a mental illness.
• Mental illness can disrupt a person's thinking or daily functioning, and can affect one's mood and ability to have healthy relationships in the work setting or in personal life.
• According to research by The World Health Organization, mental disorders account for four of the ten leading causes of disability in our country and in other developed countries.
• The costs to our society for untreated mental illness are found, not only in economic terms, but also in the volume of disability cases, high unemployment figures, homelessness, needless incarcerations and the most tragic cost: suicides.