Helping News February, 2012 Issue 43
SAMHSA News Release…
A new national report reveals that 45.9 million American adults ages 18 or older, or 20% of this age group, experienced mental illness in the past year. The rate of mental illness was more than twice as high among those ages 18 to 25 (29.9%) than among those 50 and older (14.3%). Adult women were also more likely than men to have experienced mental illness in the past year (23% versus 16.8%). Mental illness among adults 18 or older is defined as having had a diagnosable mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder (excluding developmental and substance use disorders) in the past year, based on criteria specified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV).
The Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services
Administration’s
(SAMHSA) National
Survey on Drug Use and
Health also shows that
11.4 million adults
(5% of the adult
population) suffered
from serious mental
illness in the past year.
Serious mental illness
is defined as one that
resulted in serious
functional impairment, which substantially interfered with or limited one or more major life activities.
More information coming...
