A Note: The sharing of these statistics is designed to affirm those whose live's and families are threads in the fabric of mental illness- you are seen, valued, and heard in this community. These statistics are shared to affirm the need for books portraying mental illness to be accessible to children at a young age- to shape a better future for adults and children alike.
An estimated 26% of Americans ages 18 and older -- about 1 in 4 adults -- suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year.
Many people suffer from more than one mental disorder at a given time. In particular, depressive illnesses tend to co-occur with substance abuse and anxiety disorders. Approximately 9.5% of American adults ages 18 and over, will suffer from a depressive illness (major depression, bipolar disorder, or dysthymia) each year.
Women are nearly twice as likely to suffer from major depression than men. However, men and women are equally likely to develop bipolar disorder.
While major depression can develop at any age, the average age at onset is the mid-20s.
With bipolar disorder, which affects approximately 2.6% of Americans age 18 and older in a given year -- the average age at onset for a first manic episode is during the early 20s.
Approximately about 18% of people ages 18- 54 in a given year, have an anxiety disorder in a given year. Anxiety disorders include: panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and phobias (social phobia, agoraphobia, and specific phobia).
Panic disorder typically develops in late adolescence or early adulthood.
The first symptoms of OCD often begin during childhood or adolescence.
GAD can begin at any time, though the risk is highest between childhood and middle age.
Individuals with OCD frequently can have problems with substance abuse or depressive or eating disorders.
Social phobia typically begins in childhood or adolescence.