Mental Health Disorders

Mental health disorders affect millions of US adults each year. Some disorders are mild, while others are more disabling and require intensive management and care.

The majority of people suffering from mental disorders can effectively return to normal, productive lives if they receive appropriate treatment - treatment which is readily available.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health Disorders (NIMH), mental health disorders account for four of the top 10 causes of disability in the US, and include: major depression (also called clinical depression), manic depression (also called bipolar disorder), schizophrenia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

An estimated 22 percent of persons ages 18 and older, about one in five (or over 44 million) US adults, suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year.

About 18.8 million US adults, or 9.5 percent, ages 18 and over, will suffer from a depressive illness (major depression, bipolar disorder, or dysthymia) each year. Many of them will be unnecessarily incapacitated for weeks or months because their illness is left untreated.