The Numbers Count: Mental Disorders in America

Describes statistics about mental disorders

Mental Disorders in America

Mental disorders are common in the United States and internationally. An
estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older — about one in four adults
— suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year.1 When applied to the 2004 U.S. Census
residential population estimate for ages 18 and older, this figure translates to
57.7 million people.2 Even though
mental disorders are widespread in the population, the main burden of illness is
concentrated in a much smaller proportion — about 6 percent, or 1 in 17 — who
suffer from a serious mental illness.1 In addition,
mental disorders are the leading cause of disability in the U.S. and Canada.3 Many people suffer from more than one
mental disorder at a given time. Nearly half (45 percent) of those with any
mental disorder meet criteria for 2 or more disorders, with severity strongly
related to comorbidity.1
In the U.S., mental disorders are diagnosed based on the Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV).4

Mood Disorders

Mood disorders include major
depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, and bipolar disorder.
  • Approximately 20.9 million American adults, or about 9.5 percent of the U.S.
    population age 18 and older in a given year, have a mood disorder.1,2
  • The median age of onset for mood disorders is 30 years.5
  • Depressive disorders often co-occur with anxiety disorders and substance
    abuse.5

Major Depressive Disorder

  • Major Depressive Disorder is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. for
    ages 15-44.3
  • Major depressive disorder affects approximately 14.8 million American
    adults, or about 6.7 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given
    year.1, 2
  • While major depressive disorder can develop at any age, the median age at
    onset is 32.5
  • Major depressive disorder is more prevalent in women than in men.6

Dysthymic Disorder

  • Symptoms of dysthymic disorder (chronic, mild depression) must persist for
    at least two years in adults (one year in children) to meet criteria for the
    diagnosis. Dysthymic disorder affects approximately 1.5 percent of the U.S.
    population age 18 and older in a given year.1, This figure translates to about 3.3
    million American adults.2
  • The median age of onset of dysthymic disorder is 31.1

Bipolar Disorder

  • Bipolar disorder affects approximately 5.7 million American adults, or about
    2.6 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year.1, 2
  • The median age of onset for bipolar disorders is 25 years.5

Suicide

  • In 2006, 33,300 (approximately 11 per 100,000) people died by suicide in the
    U.S.7
  • More than 90 percent of people who kill themselves have a diagnosable mental
    disorder, most commonly a depressive disorder or a substance abuse disorder.8
  • The highest suicide rates in the U.S. are found in white men over age 85.9
  • Four times as many men as women die by suicide9; however, women attempt suicide two to
    three times as often as men.10

Schizophrenia

  • Approximately 2.4 million American adults, or about 1.1 percent of the
    population age 18 and older in a given year,11, 2 have schizophrenia.
  • Schizophrenia affects men and women with equal frequency.12
  • Schizophrenia often first appears in men in their late teens or early
    twenties. In contrast, women are generally affected in their twenties or early
    thirties.12

Anxiety
Disorders

Anxiety disorders include panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder,
post-traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and phobias
(social phobia, agoraphobia, and specific phobia).
  • Approximately 40 million American adults ages 18 and older, or about 18.1
    percent of people in this age group in a given year, have an anxiety disorder.1,2
  • Anxiety disorders frequently co-occur with depressive disorders or substance
    abuse.1
  • Most people with one anxiety disorder also have another anxiety disorder.
    Nearly three-quarters of those with an anxiety disorder will have their first
    episode by age 21.5 5

Panic Disorder

  • Approximately 6 million American adults ages 18 and older, or about 2.7
    percent of people in this age group in a given year, have panic disorder.1, 2
  • Panic disorder typically develops in early adulthood (median age of onset is
    24), but the age of onset extends throughout adulthood.5
  • About one in three people with panic disorder develops
    agoraphobia, a condition in which the individual becomes afraid of
    being in any place or situation where escape might be difficult or help
    unavailable in the event of a panic attack.12

Obsessive-Compulsive
Disorder (OCD)

  • Approximately 2.2 million American adults age 18 and older, or about 1.0
    percent of people in this age group in a given year, have OCD.1, 2
  • The first symptoms of OCD often begin during childhood or adolescence,
    however, the median age of onset is 19.5

Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder (PTSD)

  • Approximately 7.7 million American adults age 18 and older, or about 3.5
    percent of people in this age group in a given year, have PTSD.1, 2
  • PTSD can develop at any age, including childhood, but research shows that
    the median age of onset is 23 years.5
  • About 19 percent of Vietnam veterans experienced PTSD at some point after
    the war.13 The disorder also frequently
    occurs after violent personal assaults such as rape, mugging, or domestic
    violence; terrorism; natural or human-caused disasters; and accidents.

Generalized
Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

  • Approximately 6.8 million American adults, or about 3.1 percent of people
    age 18 and over, have GAD in a given year.1, 2
  • GAD can begin across the life cycle, though the median age of onset is 31
    years old.5

Social Phobia

  • Approximately 15 million American adults age 18 and over, or about 6.8
    percent of people in this age group in a given year, have social phobia.1
  • Social phobia begins in childhood or adolescence, typically around 13 years
    of age.5

Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia involves intense fear and anxiety of any
place or situation where escape might be difficult, leading to avoidance of
situations such as being alone outside of the home; traveling in a car, bus, or
airplane; or being in a crowded area.5
  • Approximately 1.8 million American adults age 18 and over, or about 0.8
    percent of people in this age group in a given year, have agoraphobia without a
    history of panic disorder.1, 2
  • The median age of onset of agoraphobia is 20 years of age.5

Specific Phobia

Specific phobia involves marked and persistent fear and
avoidance of a specific object or situation.
  • Approximately 19.2 million American adults age 18 and over, or about 8.7
    percent of people in this age group in a given year, have some type of specific
    phobia.1, 2
  • Specific phobia typically begins in childhood; the median age of onset is
    seven years.5

Eating
Disorders

The three main types of eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia
nervosa, and binge-eating disorder.
  • In their lifetime, an estimated 0.6 percent of the adult population in the
    U.S. will suffer from anorexia, 1.0 percent from bulimia, and 2.8 percent from a
    binge eating disorder. 14
  • Women are much more likely than males to develop an eating disorder. They
    are three times as likely to experience anorexia (0.9 percent of women vs. 0.3
    percent of men) and bulimia (1.5 percent of women vs. 0.5 percent of men) during
    their life. They are also 75 percent more likely to have a binge eating disorder
    (3.5 percent of women vs. 2.0 percent of men).14
  • The mortality rate among people with anorexia has been estimated at 0.56
    percent per year, or approximately 5.6 percent per decade, which is about 12
    times higher than the annual death rate due to all causes of death among females
    ages 15-24 in the general population.15

Attention
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

  • ADHD, one of the most common mental disorders in children and adolescents,
    also affects an estimated 4.1 percent of adults, ages 18-44, in a given year.1
  • ADHD usually becomes evident in preschool or early elementary years. The
    median age of onset of ADHD is seven years, although the disorder can persist
    into adolescence and occasionally into adulthood.5

Autism

Autism is part of a group of disorders called autism spectrum disorders
(ASDs), also known as pervasive developmental disorders. ASDs range in severity,
with autism being the most debilitating form while other disorders, such as
Asperger syndrome, produce milder symptoms.
  • Estimating the prevalence of autism is difficult and controversial due to
    differences in the ways that cases are identified and defined, differences in
    study methods, and changes in diagnostic criteria. A recent study by the Centers
    for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported the prevalence of autism among
    8 year-olds to be about 1 in 110.16
  • Autism and other ASDs develop in childhood and generally are diagnosed by
    age three.17
  • Autism is about four times more common in boys than girls. Girls with the
    disorder, however, tend to have more severe symptoms and greater cognitive
    impairment.16,17

Personality Disorders

Personality disorders represent "an enduring pattern of inner experience
and behavior that deviates markedly from the expectations of the culture of the
individual who exhibits it."4 These patterns tend to be fixed
and consistent across situations and are typically perceived to be appropriate
by the individual even though they may markedly affect their day-to-day life in
negative ways. Among American adults ages 18 and over, an estimated 9.1% have a
diagnosable personality disorder.18
Several more common personality disorders include:

Antisocial Personality Disorder

Antisocial personality disorder is characterized by an
individual's disregard for social rules and cultural norms, impulsive behavior,
and indifference to the rights and feelings of others.
  • Approximately 1.0 percent of people aged 18 or over have antisocial
    personality disorder.18

Avoidant Personality Disorder

Avoidant personality disorder is characterized by extreme social
inhibition, sensitivity to negative evaluation, and feelings of inadequacy.
Individuals with avoidant personality disorder frequently avoid social
interaction for fear of being ridiculed, humiliated, or disliked.
  • An estimated 5.2 percent of people age 18 or older have an avoidant
    personality disorder.18

Borderline
Personality Disorder

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is defined by the DSM-IV
as "a pervasive pattern of instability of interpersonal relationships,
self-image and affects, as well as marked impulsivity, beginning by early
adulthood and present in a variety of contexts.”
  • Approximately 1.6 percent of Americans age 18 or older have BPD.18

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