Mental Health Statistics and Facts You Should Know

May 13, 2024

Fact Checked

About 59 million people in the United States live with a mental illness. Here are all the facts and stats you need to know about mental health and how to get treatment.

Edited by: Donya Currie, MA, Senior Editor at NCOA

Reviewed by: Kathleen Cameron, BSPharm, MPH

Key Takeaways

In the United States, approximately 59 million people live with a mental illness. ^[1]
Mental health disorders are more commonly diagnosed in women, occurring in about 26% of women and 20% of men. ^[1]
Among adults age 60 and older who have depression, 36% also have anxiety. ^[2]
Approximately 2.8 million people ages 18 or older in the United States have been diagnosed with schizophrenia. ^[3]
About 7.8 million people in the United States are diagnosed with bipolar disorder.1
50% of mental illness signs and symptoms begin by age 14, and 75% by age 24.
46% of people who die by suicide have a diagnosed mental health condition. ^[5]

Humans crave connection and relationships with one another. When we are not feeling our best emotionally or mentally, that hurts our ability to connect with others, and we can become isolated. One in five people living in the United States is reported to have a mental illness, which may affect the way they relate to others. ^[5]

With the emerging field of online therapy, and recently expanded Medicare coverage for licensed mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists, options are growing for people who need mental health care. People may be hesitant to get help for a variety of reasons, according to Colleen Marshall, MA, LMFT, Vice President of Clinical Care at Two Chairs, but she sees change afoot.

Marshall said speaking openly about mental health, sharing stories, and normalizing mental health care as no different than physical health care can all help to encourage more people to seek treatment. “We can do that through more public information, better education in schools, having public figures talk openly about their mental illness, and ensuring that there is parity in coverage for mental health conditions,” she said.

It’s important to seek a licensed therapist or psychiatrist who can diagnose your condition and get you the treatment you need. This guide outlines some of the most pressing conditions and vital statistics impacting mental health in the U.S., underscoring the causes and possible treatment options available.

Mental health facts and statistics

Numerous factors, including genetics, traumatic life events or changes, and lifestyle like alcohol use and sleep, can cause mental health conditions. Mental illness can develop as anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder, among others. These conditions are more common than many people realize. One in 20 adults in the United States experiences a serious mental illness each year, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). ^[5]

Anxiety statistics

Feeling nervous about an upcoming flight or joining a new social club is pretty common, but if these feelings are frequent and prevent you from engaging in your day-to-day activities, it might be an anxiety disorder. ^[6]

Different categories of anxiety disorders include:

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD): All-consuming worry and feeling overwhelmed to the point where you can’t finish tasks are the hallmarks of GAD.
Social anxiety disorder (SAD): Some people are naturally shy, but SAD is defined by having extreme difficulty with social interactions, feeling irrational anxiety or intense fear when speaking up in a group conversation, and experiencing panic attacks caused by social interactions.
Panic disorder: Panic can appear suddenly and manifests in physical symptoms like chest pains, which can be mistaken for a heart attack, nausea, dizziness, or shortness of breath.
Phobias: This type of anxiety is more than just worry. It is defined as an extreme, irrational fear triggered by people, places, or objects.
Agoraphobia: This shows up as isolation after a panic attack, where people avoid places and may not feel capable of leaving their homes.
Selective mutism: This condition is defined as being unable to talk in social situations or school. Selective mutism usually emerges during childhood between the ages of three and six, but it can also develop in adulthood. ^[7]
Separation anxiety disorder: Feeling intense fear when separated from a loved one. Separation anxiety is common in young and school-age children but can affect people of all ages.
Substance/medication-induced anxiety disorder: This can occur when intoxicated, during withdrawal, or during medication treatment.

Anxiety manifests in emotional and physical ways, including:

Emotional symptoms: Feelings of dread, restlessness, expecting the worst outcome, and being on high alert for danger
Physical symptoms: Racing heartbeat, sweating, headaches, fatigue, insomnia, or upset stomach

More facts about anxiety:

Anxiety affects 41.5 million adults in the United States. ^[8]
36% of adults age 60 and older who have depression also have anxiety. ^[2]
Most people who will develop anxiety during their lifetime will experience symptoms before they turn 21. ^[6]

Depression statistics

Arguments with a spouse or partner, or losing a loved one, or being passed over for a promotion at work can evoke feelings of sadness, but if you’re experiencing a persistence of down feelings or a loss of interest in things you once loved, then your condition could be more serious. Depression is a mood disorder that can manifest in lingering, unshakeable feelings of despair that don’t have just a single cause. ^[9]

There are different types of depression:

Major depression: People with major depression may lose interest in pleasurable activities, struggle to get through the day, and have a depressed mood for at least two weeks.
Persistent depressive disorder: This is a chronic low-level depression with less severe symptoms than major depression that last for at least two years.
Perinatal and postpartum depression: These are depression periods that occur during (perinatal) or after (postpartum) pregnancy. Excessive crying and low moods are hallmarks of these conditions. If left untreated, these depressions can be dangerous for both the mother and baby.
Seasonal affective disorder: A depression that people may start to feel with the changing of the seasons; it typically starts in late fall/early winter and lifts during spring and summer months.
Depression with symptoms of psychosis: People with this severe form of depression experience psychosis, such as delusions or hallucinations.

More facts about depression:

Depression affects about 16.6 million U.S. adults, 5% of the population. ^[8]
About 1%–5% of older adults have major depression, but 13.5% of those who require home health care and 11.5% of those who are hospitalized may experience it. ^[10]
Brain chemistry, environment, genetics, major life changes, and lifestyle can all play a role in developing depression. ^[9]
Women are more likely to be diagnosed with depression than men, but that may be because men are less likely to seek care, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NAMI). ^[9]
Older adults may be more likely to experience depression alongside serious medical conditions, like heart disease, diabetes, cancer, chronic pain, and Parkinson’s disease. ^[9]

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is more severe than other types of depression, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA). ^[11] If you have at least five of the following symptoms, you may have MDD and should consult a health care provider:

Appetite changes
Difficulty concentrating
Overwhelming sadness
Fatigue that doesn’t go away with rest
Sleeping too much or too little
Slow thinking or moving
Feelings of worthlessness
Loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed
Recurring thoughts of death and suicide

We recommend seeing a doctor or psychiatrist for a diagnosis and potential treatment such as counseling, prescription medication, and exercise, among others, to reduce symptoms.

Aymee Coget, PhD, a wellness coach and host on the Sharewell peer-to-peer support platform, noted that the importance of recognizing the warning signs of depression is crucial .

“By integrating positive psychology into daily routines, individuals can proactively manage their mental well-being and cultivate a more fulfilling life,” Coget said. “Engaging in activities that bring joy and purpose, listening to positive music, practicing gratitude, spreading kindness towards others, and connecting with peers are essential steps in combating feelings of depression and loneliness.”

Bipolar disorder statistics

Bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness characterized by mania followed by episodes of deep depression and feelings of hopelessness. Sometimes, these feelings occur at the same time, which is called an episode with mixed features. Once called manic depression, bipolar disorder affects approximately 8 million people in the United States. ^[12] Diagnosis and treatment are vitally important because approximately 15%–20% of people with bipolar disorder die by suicide.

The National Institute of Mental Health defines three types of bipolar disorder: ^[13]

Bipolar I: Manic episodes that occur every day or nearly every day for at least a week and may require immediate medical attention. Depressive episodes can last two weeks or more. Some people experience rapid cycling, which is defined by four or more episodes of mania and depression occurring within a year.
Bipolar II: A pattern of depressive and hypomanic episodes, which are milder manic episodes that typically last a few days. Bipolar II is considered less severe than Bipolar I.
Cyclothymic: Also called cyclothymia, this condition is defined by recurring hypomanic and depressive symptoms.

More facts about bipolar disorder:

Bipolar disorder symptoms, starting as depression, typically first appear in people ages 15–25. ^[14]
Women with bipolar disorder are more likely to attempt suicide, but men with the condition are more likely to die by suicide.
People with depression are at higher risk for developing bipolar disorder if there is a family history of bipolar disorder.
Treatment does help, but it’s not a complete cure, so 19%–25% of people will experience a recurrence of episodes each year. ^[14]
About 25% of those with bipolar disorder are over the age of 60. ^[15]

Schizophrenia statistics

Schizophrenia is a severe mental health condition that affects how people feel and act. Schizophrenia can be disorienting and is often characterized by disordered thinking patterns and psychotic symptoms. ^[16] People may lose their tether to reality, and their world experience may become distorted. For some people, these symptoms come and go, but for others, the symptoms become stable over time.

Symptoms of schizophrenia include: ^[16]

Hallucinations: Seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and feeling things that do not exist. Hearing voices is a common hallucination, and it can be frightening for the person experiencing it.

Delusions: Irrational and intrusive thoughts, such as thinking people are sending specific messages through the TV or other devices. These thoughts may cause the person with delusions to think others are trying to harm them and that they are in danger.
Thought disorder: People with thought disorder may have an unusual way of thinking and talking. Their words may be made up, they may not be able to complete a thought, and they generally struggle with organizing their thoughts.
Movement disorder: People may move their limbs in a strange way to repeat certain motions again and again.

More facts about schizophrenia:

Schizophrenia affects 1% of the U.S. population, roughly 3.4 million people. ^[4]
People with a family history of schizophrenia are at greater risk of being diagnosed with this condition.
People are usually diagnosed between ages 16–30 following a psychotic episode. ^[16]
The definition of “older” in schizophrenia may differ from how it is defined commonly. Individuals with schizophrenia are reported to have accelerated physical aging, including early onset chronic conditions and death compared with the overall population. The average life span of a person with schizophrenia is 20–23 years shorter than that of an unaffected person. Thus, people with schizophrenia in their 40s and 50s may be comparable medically with those in the 60s and 70s in the general population. ^[17]

Suicide statistics

It may be uncomfortable to think about suicide, but it’s important to know how to find help for yourself or someone else in need. An estimated 49,449 people died by suicide in the United States in 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). ^[18] Older men continue to have the highest rates of suicide compared to other groups. ^[19]

Here is the number of people in the United States who died by suicide in 2022, broken down by age: ^[18]

10–24 years: 6,529
25–44 years: 16,843
45–64: 15,632
65 and older: 10,433

If you or someone you know is a danger to themselves or others around them, it is an emergency, and you should seek help from one of these sources:

Visit your local urgent care or emergency department
Call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Chat online at 988lifeline.org
For deaf or hard of hearing American Sign Language users, call 988 Videophone
Call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)’s Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 or text your ZIP code to 435748

All the above options will connect you with trained professionals who can provide crisis support.

Mental health statistics by age

Mental health disorders are most common in younger people, affecting 36% of people ages 18–25, 29% of people ages 26–49, and about 14% of people age 50 and older. ^[1] The loneliness epidemic is a major factor getting a lot of attention from the scientific community as a cause of depression.

In the past, many people lived in multi-generational homes, but this is less common now and has the unintended consequence of social isolation, which can lead to people feeling lonely or developing mental illness. ^[20]

People who are particularly at risk for loneliness include: ^[21]

Older adults who are not married or partnered, particularly those who recently lost their partner
People with a limited social network and/or low levels of social activity
Older adults who feel they are in poor health
People with depression/depressed mood

Older adults can have anxiety and depression. It may be challenging to get a diagnosis for someone isolating or having memory issues, which makes staying consistent on a treatment plan difficult. Fortunately, researchers are studying these barriers, and organizations like NCOA are providing educational content to help people stay connected and get the care they need.

Mental health statistics by race and ethnicity

Mental illness rates differ in people from various races and ethnicities, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). ^[22] Here is a breakdown of these rates:

White: 23.9%
Hispanic or Latino: 20.7%
Black or African American: 21.4%
Asian: 16.4%
American Indian or Alaska Native: 26.6%
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander: 18.1%
Multiracial: 34.9%

Researchers are studying underserved racial or ethnic groups to highlight disparities and improve access to care. Although mental health services are available online and in person, not everyone has equal access to care. People from non-white racial and ethnic groups reported cost concerns or lack of insurance coverage as reasons for not pursuing care, according to data collected by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). ^[23]

Despite often having better access to care, the number of white people who died by suicide in 2022 outnumbers all other races and ethnicities. Here are the rates of people in the United States who died by suicide in 2022 per 100,000, broken down by race and ethnicity, according to the CDC: ^[19]

American Indian or Alaska Native: 28.1%
White: 17.4%
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander: 12.6%
Multiracial: 9.7%
Black or African American: 8.7%
Hispanic or Latino: 7.9%
Asian: 6.8%

Mental health statistics in the LGBTQ+ community

Mental illness can develop in any person regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, but people who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community face numerous and unique obstacles when it comes to receiving equal, fair access to mental health care.

Nasser Mohamed, MD, is an international LGBTQ+ rights activist and founder of Osra Medical in San Francisco. Mohamed is originally from Qatar, where same-sex sexual activity is illegal, and LGBTQ+ people can face legal persecution for their identity. He eventually fled his country, seeking asylum in the United States after coming out publicly as gay. He sees deep disparities for LGBTQ+ people seeking mental health care.

“Unfortunately, the LGBTQ+ community continues to face challenges to accessing meaningful physical and mental health care,” he said. “There seem to be many factors impacting our ability to achieve better outcomes for the community. One key issue reported by different LGBTQ+ individuals is either discrimination in the health care setting or fear of discrimination.”

The Center of American Progress, working with the independent and nonpartisan research group NORC at the University of Chicago, surveyed 1,828 LGBTQ+ adults in the United States in 2022. ^[24]

Here are some key findings from the survey:

People in the LGBTQ+ community are more likely than non-LGBTQ+ people to report their health as “fair” or “poor.”
32% of people in the LGBTQ+ community reported experiencing at least one negative experience or form of mistreatment when interacting with a mental health care professional in the past year.
Nearly one in three transgender or nonbinary respondents reported encountering some kind of health care refusal by a doctor or other health care provider in the past year.
46% of transgender or nonbinary people of color were refused care by a health professional in the past year.
56% of young people in the LGBTQ+ community who wanted mental health care in the past year were not able to get it.

Age can also impact an LGBTQ+ person’s mental health. A recent study found an elevated risk of mental illness among older adults in the LGBTQ+ community compared to non-LGBTQ+ counterparts, attributing this disparity to lifetime exposure to stigma, discrimination, and major policy adversities. ^[25]

Mental health treatment statistics

As of 2020, 37 million people with mental illness or substance use disorder had private insurance coverage. ^[26] But in 2021, 26.5 million people received mental health services in the past year, suggesting not everyone who has insurance actually seeks help. ^[27]

People on Medicare are covered for mental health and substance use disorder services—both inpatient and outpatient—and Part D plans cover outpatient prescription medications. People withMedicare Advantage receive mental health and substance use benefits covered under traditional Medicare and most prescription drugs.

Andrew Huberman, PhD, a neuroscientist and professor in the Department of Neurobiology, Psychiatry, and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford School of Medicine, discusses mental health and wellness topics on his podcast, Huberman Lab.

“Mood disorders and challenges with mental health abound,” Huberman said in the episode entitled Mental Health Toolkit. “What matters in terms of what modes to adopt is access, being able to afford them on a consistent basis, and also the severity of the mood or mental health disorder.”

There are many different treatments and therapies for mental health: talk therapy with a therapist or psychiatrist, prescription drug treatments, nutritional approaches, exercise, and more.

Online therapy can be less expensive than traditional in-person therapy since some online therapy platforms offer subscription-based pricing with weekly or monthly fees, according to the American Psychological Association. ^[28] Both in-person and online therapy rates can vary by provider, insurance coverage, and location. With online therapy, you will pay somewhere between $15–$90 per session on average. In-person can cost anywhere from $100–$350 per session on average. ^[29] Since many online therapy services do not accept Medicare coverage, it is important to ask about this coverage before signing up.

Bottom line

Mental illness and mood disorders can be extremely difficult to navigate, but it’s vital to gain an understanding of these conditions. Mental and mood disorders can develop in a person of any age, gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. In fact, it’s estimated that 59 million people in the United States live with a mental illness.

While seeking treatment may seem overwhelming, there is hope. With management, support, and coping strategies, easing symptoms is possible, and you can live a full, satisfying life. A solid support system of friends, family, and medical professionals is essential. We recommend seeking treatment with a caring, trustworthy provider, whether that treatment is via talk therapy, psychiatry, or a combined approach.

Despite the increase in the availability of online therapy and new mental health providers who can now bill for Medicare payment, the number of people who need help far outweighs the number of licensed mental health professionals, and not everyone who needs care gets access due to cost and other barriers. Some online therapy and online psychiatry platforms offer discounts and financial aid for users, which can help bridge the gap in access to mental health care. If you’re feeling unwell, don’t wait—seek professional help immediately so you can receive a treatment plan and begin your recovery journey.

Have questions about this review? Email us at reviewsteam@ncoa.org.

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