Mental Health

DID YOU KNOW?

MOST OF US KNOW SOMEONE who’s struggled with mental health issues. Whether it’s depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder or another problem, mental health issues are common. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that:3.9% of adults aged 18 and older have experienced serious psychological distress in the past 30 days.

7.6% of persons aged 12 and older have depression in any two-week period.
8.4% of children aged 6 to 17 have been diagnosed with anxiety and/or depression.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death in 10 to 34-year-old. (Unintentional injury is the leading cause in this age group.)

The Well At Everyday Health provided a survey with TAKEAWAYS.

Almost 1/3 of survey say they visited a doctor about something stress-related.
57 percent of the survey respondents say they are paralyzed by stress; 43 percent say they are invigorated by stress.
51 percent of the women surveyed say they don’t see friends at all in an average week.
59 percent of baby boomers have never been diagnosed with a mental health issue; 52 percent of Gen Zers already have been.
Just over a third of all respondents say their job or career is a regular source of stress. Among millennials and Gen Zers, the chronically work-stressed rises to 44 percent.
More than half of women (51 percent) say they feel bad about their appearance weekly, and 28 percent say their appearance regularly causes them stress. Only 34 percent of men say they feel bad about their appearance weekly.
52 percent of respondents say financial issues regularly stress them out, well above the 35 percent who cited jobs and careers as the next most common stressor.
47 percent of all respondents — with women and men almost evenly matched — say that their response to stress is to take it out on themselves.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness reports that “approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. (46.6 million) experience mental illness in a given year. This breaks down into:

1.1% (2.4 million) of American adults living with schizophrenia.
2.6% (6.1 million) living with bipolar disorder.
6.9% (16 million) living with major depression.
18.1% (42 million) living with anxiety disorders.

Mental health America in 2019 Report

Over 44 million American adults (18.07%), have a mental health condition. That actually represents a slight decrease from the 2015 report, which found 18.19% of adults had a mental health condition. The rate of youth experiencing a mental health issue continued rising, and 62% of teens and children with a major depressive episode received no treatment.
Access to care is improving, but most Americans still have no access to care. The report states that 12.2% (5.3 million) adults with a mental illness remain uninsured, and 56.4% of adults with a mental illness received no treatment.

KEEP IN MIND

Mental health problems are common in the United States and around the world. Mental health issues, much like other health issues, can be mild, but can also be life altering, affecting the emotional, social, and psychological well-being of the person. Common types of mental illness include mood disorders, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, and personality disorders. common symptoms of mental health issues include changes in sleeping and eating habits, social withdrawal, feelings of hopelessness, anger, and prolonged sadness, suicidal thoughts, and substance abuse.

Depression is one of the most common types of mental disorders, Depression is more common among younger people and females are more susceptible than males. Disparities in poor mental health in the U.S. exist among the various races and ethnicities, as well as among the different states. American Indians/Alaska Natives report the highest rates of poor mental health, while Asians/Pacific Islanders report the lowest rates.

Substance abuse has been known to promote symptoms of mental illness and those with mental illness will often abuse substances as a form of self-medication.

Those suffering from mental illness use illicit drugs of all kinds at higher rates than those without such illness.

Treatment for mental health issues can come in many different forms and depends on the type and severity of the disorder. Common treatment methods include psychotherapy, behavioral therapy or counseling, medication, hospitalization, or support groups. Somewhat ironically, the use of psychedelic drugs has also recently been explored in treating a number of mental health disorders. The most common types of professionals seen for treatment among adults with a major depressive episode include a general practitioner or family doctor, psychiatrist, psychotherapist, or psychologist.

Research shows that chronic stress is a national epidemic for all genders and ages, particularly those who are 25 to 35 years old. To unpack this problem is a matter partly of mental health and partly of physical health. Here’s the hard truth: The causes and solutions to chronic stress are a complex mixture of socioeconomic, environmental, genetic, physical, and spiritual factors.

Although there are different types of stress (some are even positive), the type we need to pay attention to, say experts, is chronic stress. This is the stress that makes it hard to sleep well, makes it nearly impossible to lose weight, and finds us fighting one cold after another. It’s the stress that can both cause medical conditions and trigger and exacerbate flare-ups from existing conditions. This kind of stress depresses the immune system, alters our moods, and damages our professional and personal relationships. Just as, on the positive side, yoga has been shown to lengthen the protective caps at the ends of our DNA strands called telomeres and keep us more youthful, ongoing stress can actually change our DNA for the worse.

Based on the epidemiological (or population-based data curated by organizations like the CDC), the most prevalent mental health disorders are anxiety, number one, and then depression closely following it. Bipolar disorder and schizophrenia trail behind, but are still fairly prevalent conditions.

20% of people in the country have some form of mental health issue at some point in their lives, with less than 5% having severe problems with mental health issues, such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or another less common, severe mental health issue.

Another issue that takes a big toll is substance abuse and alcohol use disorders. Statistics from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health that indicate more than 25% of adults in the U.S. report binge drinking in the past 30 days. (Binge drinking is defined as consuming five or more drinks in a sitting, and a drink is defined as 12 ounces of beer, 8-9 ounces of malt liquor, 5 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of spirits.) The CDC also reports that 1 in 6 U.S. adults binge drinks four times a month. The NSDUH reports that 6.2% of adults, or approximately 15 million people, have an alcohol use disorder, and 2.5% of teenagers have an alcohol use disorder.

The statistics and current trends in mental health are especially troublesome. A recent article from CDC talks about depression among teenagers. The rate of increase from 2009 to 2017 has increased over this time by 52%.