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Any Mental Illness (AMI)

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, Any Mental Illness (AMI) is defined as “a mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder. AMI can vary in impact, ranging from no impairment to mild, moderate, and even severe impairment.”

  • Nearly one in five U.S. adults live with a mental illness. (1)
  • In 2019, there were an estimated 51.5 million adults aged 18 or older in the United States with AMI. This number represented 20.6% of all U.S. adults. (1)
  • The prevalence of AMI was higher among females (24.5%) than males (16.3%). (1)
  • Young adults aged 18-25 years had the highest prevalence of AMI (29.4%) compared to adults aged 26-49 years (25.0%) and aged 50 and older (14.1%). (1)
  • The prevalence of AMI was highest among the adults reporting two or more races (31.7%), followed by White adults (22.2%). The prevalence of AMI was lowest among Asian adults (14.4%). (1)

Serious Mental Illness (SMI)

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, Serious Mental Illness (SMI) is defined as “a mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder resulting in serious functional impairment, which substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities. The burden of mental illnesses is particularly concentrated among those who experience disability due to SMI.”

  • In 2019, there were an estimated 13.1 million adults aged 18 or older in the United States with SMI. This number represented 5.2% of all U.S. adults. (1)
  • The prevalence of SMI was higher among females (6.5%) than males (3.9%). (1)
  • Young adults aged 18-25 years had the highest prevalence of SMI (8.6%) compared to adults aged 26-49 years (6.8%) and aged 50 and older (2.9%). (1)
  • The prevalence of SMI was highest among the adults reporting two or more races (9.3%). (1)
  • In 2019, among the 13.1 million adults with SMI, 8.6 million (65.5%) received mental health treatment in the past year.

    The most recent data available on some of the most common mental health disorders:

    Substance Abuse and Misuse

    • US. overdose deaths hit record 93,000 in 2020 during pandemic, a 29% increase from the previous year
    • 7% of persons aged 12 years and over used an illicit drug in the past month
    • More than 70,000 Americans died from drug-involved overdose in 2019, including illicit drugs and prescription opioids
    • 1 million young adults (18-25) reported having a substance use disorder and 87% of young adults (18-25) with substance use disorders went untreated

    Depression      

    • An estimated 17.3 million adults in the United States had at least one major depressive episode. This number represented 7.1% of all U.S. adults.6
    • The prevalence of major depressive episode was higher among adult females (8.7%) compared to males (5.3%).6
    • The prevalence of adults with a major depressive episode was highest among individuals aged 18-25 (13.1%).6
    • The prevalence of major depressive episode was highest among adults reporting two or races (11.3%).6=

    Anxiety

    • Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health concern in the United States.
    • Over 40 million adults in the U.S. (1%) have an anxiety disorder.
    • Meanwhile, approximately 7%of children aged 3-17 experience issues with anxiety each year.
    • An estimated 31.1% of U.S. adults experience any anxiety disorder at some time in their lives.
    • Most people develop symptoms before age 21.

    Suicide

    • Suicide was the tenth leading cause of death overall in the United States, claiming the lives of over 47,500 people.
    • Suicide was the second leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 10 and 34, and the fourth leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 35 and 44.
    • There were nearly two and a half times as many suicides (47,511) in the United States as there were homicides (19,141).

    References

    1. National Institute of Mental Health. Mental Illness. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness
    2. Stobbe, M. (2021). AP News. US overdose deaths hit record 93,000 in pandemic last year. https://apnews.com/article/overdose-deaths-record-covid-pandemic-fd43b5d91a81179def5ac596253b0304
    3. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). Available from: https://www.samhsa. gov/data/population-data-nsduh and unpublished data provided by NSDUH. See Appendix I, National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH).
    4. National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2021). Overdose Death Rates. https://www.drugabuse.gov/drug-topics/trends-statistics/overdose-death-rates
    5. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Entering Adulthood: Getting Help for Mental and Substance Use Disorders. https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/tay-infographic.pdf
    6. National Institute of Mental Health. Major Depression. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/major-depression
    7. National Alliance on Mental Illness. (2017). Anxiety Disorders. https://www.nami.org/About-Mental-Illness/Mental-Health-Conditions/Anxiety-Disorders#:~:text=Anxiety%20disorders%20are%20the%20most,develop%20symptoms%20before%20age%2021.
    8. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) WISQARS Leading Causes of Death Reports. https://webappa.cdc.gov/sasweb/ncipc/leadcause.html