125+ Statistics On Mental Health In America

Mental health issues have been on the rise for the last decade with the average individual today experiencing the same levels of reported anxiety compared to the average psychiatric hospital patient 50 years ago.

Rates of anxiety, depression, and subsequent addiction are particularly high today as a result of things like isolation. In fact anxiety and depression levels are higher among people who are isolated and isolation can lead to things like low self-control and low self-esteem which further the risk of secondary mental health disorders including social anxiety and phobias as well as substance abuse.

While this level of detriment can be reduced with socialization and treatment, people still struggle with poor mental health as they avoid treatment due to stigma, social pressure, and misdiagnosis. This page will provide key statistics around mental health.

Mental Health Statistics

Mental health issues have risen steadily over the last 5 years particularly in light of isolation. anxiety and depression remain the highest issues but without available resources, many Americans are failing to get the treatment they need.

• 57.8 million: 57.8 million Americans have a mental health disorder.
• 33%: 33% of people who are isolated develop high levels of anxiety and depression.

Anxiety Statistics 2024

Anxiety disorders share the features of the emotional response of fear to real or perceived threats as well as anxiety about future threats. There’s often an overlap between these two emotions that cause surges in the autonomic arousal system, with fight or flight muscle tension, vigilance, and even panic attacks.

While it’s common for people to experience fear or anxiety, anxiety disorders are characterized by persistent and excessive fear beyond what is appropriate for a given situation, often lacking any direct source. These feelings are typically persistent, lasting 6 months or longer and can significantly interfere with daily function.

• 50%: 50% of people with depression will develop an anxiety disorder.
• 9%: The 12-month prevalence for phobias is 9% in the United States.
• 32%: Animal phobias have a 32% heritability which means 32% of these phobias are caused by genetics and family members with the same phobia.
• 25%: Situational phobias have a 25% heritability.
• 33%: Blood-injury-injection phobias have a 33% heritability.
• 7%: 7% of Americans over the last 12 months have struggled with a social anxiety disorder.
• 3%: Approximately 3% of adults on adolescents across the United States have a 12-month prevalence of panic disorder.
• 1.7%: Lifelong prevalence of panic disorders is 1.7%.
• 80%: 80% of individuals with panic disorder have a lifelong comorbidity with other conditions including anxiety disorders, major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder.
• 33%: In 33% of cases, individuals with major depressive disorder and panic disorder experience a depressive episode prior to a panic episode.

Addiction Statistics

Addiction represents a significant issue across the United States, particularly due to the recent opioid pandemic. Mental health exacerbates these numbers, as people with anxiety, depression, PTSD, bipolar disorder, and other conditions often rely on drugs or alcohol to self-medicate.

People with mental health conditions are twice as likely to struggle with substance abuse compared to the general population. This often worsens the original mental health disorder and can lead to the development of others.

Addiction In Men

The National Institute on Drug Abuse has found that men struggle more with addiction to alcohol, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana compared to women. Men who use heroin are more likely to inject it compared to women and they are more likely to binge drink regularly. When men abuse drugs they tend to abuse higher doses for longer lengths of time compared to women before they opt to get treatment.

• 70%: Nearly 70% of all admissions for substance abuse treatment are males.
• 25%: Of male admissions for addiction, almost 25% want gender-specific rehab because of alcohol.
• 82 million: Over 82 million men 21 and older regularly drank in 2020.
• 26 million: 26 million males 12 or older reported using marijuana in the last year.
• 33 million: 33 million men use prescription pain medication.
• 8 million: Of the 33 million males who have a prescription for pain medication, 8 million are stimulants.
• 10 million: Of the 33 million males who have a prescription for pain medication, 10 million are benzodiazepines.

Addiction In Women

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, women are more likely to develop addictions after traumatic events like divorce, death in the family, or child custody issues. Women are more sensitive to pain which leads to higher developments of prescription pain medication addiction like opioids while social stigma and demands at home can lead to methamphetamine or cocaine abuse for energy and weight loss.

• 10%: 10% of women admitted for addiction want gender-specific addiction treatment.
• 33%: 33% of women experience domestic violence at some point which increases the risk of mental health disorders and addiction.
• 9%: 9% of women between 18 and 25 have an alcohol abuse disorder.
• 50%: Nearly 50% of women who struggle with anxiety or depression develop addiction by way of self-medication.

Bipolar Statistics

Bipolar disorders are categorized between depressive disorders and schizophrenia/psychotic disorders. Bipolar I and Bipolar II are the most common, diagnosed as the classic manic-depressive episodes or the major depressive episodes respectfully. Bipolar is a lifelong condition, one for which there is no cure but treatment provides invaluable medication and tools to manage symptoms.

Bipolar disorders are commonly misdiagnosed because anxiety, depression, eating disorders, or substance abuse can proceed the diagnosis making it difficult to find the right treatment.

• 3.3%: 3.3% of adults across the United States have bipolar disorders.
• 1%: Risk of bipolar disorder in the general population is 1%.
• 7%: Risk of bipolar disorder among those with a first-degree relative is an average of 7%.
• 1.5%: 1.5% of adults across the U.S. have bipolar I.
• 0.8%: The 12-month prevalence for bipolar II in the United States is 0.8%.
• 0.3%: Internationally, the 12-month prevalence for bipolar I is 0.3%.
• 1.8%: 1.8% of adults across the U.S. have bipolar II.
• 2.7%: 2.7% of youth ages 12 and older have bipolar II.
• 90%: Over 90% of those with a single manic episode from bipolar I will have recurrent mood disorders.
• 60%: 60% of manic episodes for bipolar I happen immediately before a major depressive disorder.
• 50%: Around 50% of individuals with bipolar I have a predominant polarity, meaning they relapse with either depressive or manic episodes.
• 30%: 30% of those with bipolar disorder have severe impairment in their work function.
• 22: The mean age at onset for bipolar I in the United States is 22 years.
• 24.2: The mean age at onset for bipolar I internationally is 24.2 years.
• 83%: Of those with bipolar disorder, 83% are considered severe.
• 12%: 12% of those with bipolar II are originally misdiagnosed with depressive disorder, until such time as they have a hypomanic episode.
• 50%: Around 50% of individuals will experience a new episode within the first year of the initial episode for bipolar II disorder.
• 8%: An average of 8% of individuals with bipolar II have four or more mood episodes within the previous 12 months, known as rapid cycling.
• 7%: An average of 7% of individuals with bipolar II will develop a manic episode at some point.
• 15%: While most individuals with bipolar II return to fully functional levels in between episodes, 15% will have inter-episode dysfunction.
• 20%: 20% of individuals with bipolar II will transition directly from one mood episode to another without any inter episode recovery.
• 60%: Approximately 60% of people with bipolar II have three or more co-occurring mental disorders.
• 75%: Of those with bipolar II who have co-occurring mental health disorders, 75% have an anxiety disorder.
• 38%: Of those with bipolar II who have co-occurring mental health disorders, 38% have social anxiety.
• 36%: Of those with bipolar II who have co-occurring mental health disorders, 36% have a specific phobia.
• 30%: Of those with bipolar II who have co-occurring mental health disorders 30% have generalized anxiety disorders.
• 42%: Of those with bipolar II, 42% who develop a substance abuse disorder abuse alcohol.
• 14%: Of those with bipolar II, 14% will have at least one lifetime eating disorder, with binge eating disorder being the most common.

Depression Statistics

Depressive disorders include major depressive disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and many other depressive disorders caused by specific medications or medical conditions. Across all depressive disorders the common features include persistent feelings of emptiness, sadness, and irritability accompanied by changes that impact daily function.

Depressive disorders are the most commonly diagnosed disorders around the world with major depressive disorder being the largest diagnosis. Depression is the leading cause of disability across America with over 16 million adults struggling with major depressive disorder and nearly 66% of adults with depression being misdiagnosed.

• 80%: 80% of people with addiction have depression.
• 10%: At any given time, 10% of people are actively struggling with depressive episodes, and of those, 33% develop addiction to cocaine to self-medicate.
• 50%: 50% of people around the world develop a depressive disorder.
• 7%: The 12-month prevalence of major depressive disorder across the United States is 7%.
• 40%: For 40% of those diagnosed with major depression, recovery from a major depressive disorder begins within 3 months of the onset.
• 80%: For 80% of those diagnosed with major depression including the 40% above, recovery from a major depressive disorder begins within one year.
• 3x: Those with a first degree family member diagnosed with major depressive disorders are an average of three fold more likely to develop it themselves.
• 40%: Heritability for major depression is 40%.
• 75%: Around the world, it is estimated that 75% of people with depression remain undiagnosed and go without treatment.

Suicide Statistics

For some disorders the risk of suicide lessons as individuals age. The risk of death by suicide does not lessen based on age for depressive disorders but the likelihood of suicide attempts does.

• 5%: Approximately 5% of individuals with bipolar disorders die by suicide.
• 33%: 33% of individuals with bipolar II report a lifetime history of suicide attempts.
• 17x: Individuals with depressive disorders are 17 times more likely to commit suicide compared to the general population.
• 14: Age-adjusted rates of suicide across the United States for those with depressive disorder have increased to 14 per 100,000 people over the last two decades.
• 33%: 30% of first suicide attempts for those between the ages of 14 and 24 are attributed to phobias, among all other anxiety disorders.
• 25%: Approximately 25% of those with panic disorder report suicidal thoughts.

Mental Health By Ethnicity

Bipolar I is higher among minorities including Native Americans compared to non-Hispanic Whites, but lower among Asians, Hispanics, and African Americans.

Panic disorders are roughly four times lower among Latin American, African, and Asian communities compared to non-Hispanic White communities.

The prevalence of phobias is an average of 6% among Asian, African, and Latin American ethnicities, representing half the rate of non-Hispanic white communities.

The table below shows the prevalence of mental health disorders by ethnicity:

Mental Health By Gender

Women are more likely to be diagnosed with depression or anxiety disorders. Up to 60% of women in clinical settings are diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder compared to 40% of men.

While there is a slight difference among adult males and females across a 12 month time frame, lifetime prevalence for bipolar I is generally equal among men and women.

• 15%: Childbirth can trigger specific hypomanic episodes in around 15% of females within the non-clinical population and develop within the early postpartum time frame.
• 1.5%: 1.5% of female adults have bipolar I.
• 1.6%: 1.6% of male adults have bipolar I.
• 2x: Women are twice as likely to experience depression compared to men.
• 2x: Women are twice as likely to be affected by anxiety disorders and phobias, generalized anxiety disorder, as well as panic disorders compared to men.
• 2.2: Women have a much higher rate of social anxiety, with rates of 2.2 compared to 1.5 in men.

Mental Health By Age

Mental health disorders affect different age groups. For example, things like depressive disorders with a higher prevalence in females tend to peak in adolescents after which they stabilize. Tangentially the risk of recurrence becomes progressively lower as individuals age and the duration of remission becomes progressively longer.

• 3x: Depressive disorders are three times more prevalent in individuals aged 60 or older.
• 75%: For 75% of people, the median age at onset for social anxiety is 13.
• 50%: Roughly 50% of young adolescents between the ages of 13 and 17 have a 12-month prevalence rate of social anxiety.
• 4%: Roughly 4% of older adults 18 and up have a 12-month prevalence of social anxiety.
• 34.7: The median age at onset for panic disorder is 34.7 years.
• 10: The median age at onset for specific phobias is 10 years old.
• 35: The median age for onset of generalized anxiety disorder is 35.

Below is a table representing the percentage of each age group affected by specific phobias:

In addition to specific phobias, panic disorder declines in older individuals with 1.2% of individuals between 55 and 63 experiencing panic disorders compared to 0.7% in adults over the age of 64.

Below is a table representing the percentage of each age group affected by generalized anxiety disorder:

Mental Health Treatment

Treatment for mental health disorders has increased since the pandemic, though not nearly enough people are receiving the help they need.

23.2% of adults between the ages of 18 and 44 received help for mental health in 2021 which was an increase from 18.5% in 2019.

The table below presents the percentage of adults 18 and older who received mental health treatment by year and age group:

Mental Health Insurance

Federal Law requires that basic mental health treatment be covered by all health insurance providers. However, those without coverage are still at a loss.

10.6% of adults with a mental health problem had no health insurance coverage in 2021 preventing them from getting the treatment they needed.

28 million people in the United States didn’t receive mental health treatment even though they had a mental health disorder.

Mental Health In The Criminal Justice System

Specific communities struggle with higher rates of mental health disorders, particularly the criminal justice system where an average between one third and half of the people who are incarcerated at any level have a diagnosable mental health condition.

With a lack of mental health resources, insurance, and treatment availability specifically in geographic areas that are underserved, individuals are more likely to face jail time and incarceration for mental health issues rather than criminal offenses.

• 2 million: People with significant mental health disorders are booked into jails roughly 2 million times per year instead of getting the help they need in large part because of a lack of mental health services and mental health professionals.
• 37%: 37% of people incarcerated in a state or federal prison have a history of mental illness.
• 44%: 44% of people held in local jails have a history of mental illness.
• 4,000: An average of 4,000 people with severe mental health disorders are placed in solitary confinement within US prisons every year.
• 25%: 25% of people who were shot and killed by police officers over the last 10 years had a mental health condition.
• 66%: 66% of women in prison have a reported mental health condition which is twice the number for men in prison.

Mental Health Workers

Of those who have mental health insurance coverage, there is still a shortage of healthcare professionals in many geographic areas. In fact, 160 million people live in an area that is designated as having a mental health professional shortage.

Getting help becomes even more of a challenge when individuals don’t have a proper diagnosis, something that can be hindered by a lack of mental health professionals in their area.

There exist issues with mental health workers and other medical professionals also struggling with addiction or mental health disorders because of the workplace stress and mental health disorders they experience. For example:

• 80%: 80% of doctors struggle with a mental health disorder, primarily anxiety or depression.
• 13%: Only 13% of medical professionals and healthcare workers with a mental health disorder get help themselves.
• 96%: 96% of medical professionals and mental health workers have sleep problems, 1/3 of whom have severe insomnia in large part because of the demanding work shifts.
• 15%: Upwards of 15% of doctors and mental health workers struggle with substance abuse during the course of their careers.

Mental Health In The LGBTQIA+

Those within the LGBTQIA+ community are twice as likely to experience mental health issues, which can often lead to self-medication and subsequent addiction.

Things like discrimination, traumatic events, bullying, and family problems all contribute to poor mental health and substance abuse risks with things like marijuana and alcohol abuse being most widely abused, and things like prescription painkiller abuse being significantly higher compared to the general population.

• 2x: The LGBTQIA+ community is affected by addiction twice as often as the regular population because of self-medicating for mental health issues.
• 40%: 40% of LGBTQIA+ adults have struggled with a severe mental health issue.
• 5 million: Of the 40% with severe mental health disorders, five million have co-occurring mental health and addiction.
• 12.4%: 12.4% of the LGBTQIA+ population struggles with alcoholism.
• 2.9%: Methamphetamine use among LGBTQIA+ adults has increased from 1.5% per year to 2.9%.
• 24%: Methamphetamine use among LGBTQIA+ adults is 24% higher than the general population.
• 3x: Transgender adults are three times more likely to abuse drugs than the rest of the population.