STATISTICS ABOUT MENTAL DISORDERS

Mental Disorders in America (from NIMH)

Approximately 80% of All non-Bipolar Partners Will Suffer From Some Level of Depression

Mental disorders are common in the United States and internationally. An estimated 22.1 percent of Americans ages 18 and older — about 1 in 5 adults — suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. When applied to the 1998 U.S. Census residential population estimate, this figure translates to 44.3 million people. In addition, 4 of the 10 leading causes of disability in the U.S. and other developed countries are mental disorders — major depression, Bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Many people suffer from more than one mental disorder at a given time

In the U.S., mental disorders are diagnosed based on the (DSM-IV)
(Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition)

• Depressive disorders encompass major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, and bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is included because people with this illness have depressive episodes as well as manic episodes.
• Approximately 18.8 million American adults, or about 9.5 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year, have a depressive disorder
• Nearly twice as many women (12.0 percent) as men (6.6 percent) are affected by a depressive disorder each year. These figures translate to 12.4 million women and 6.4 million men in the U.S.
• Depressive disorders may be appearing earlier in life in people born in recent decades compared to the past
• Depressive disorders often co-occur with anxiety disorders and substance abuse

Major Depressive Disorder

• Major depressive disorder is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. and established market economies worldwide
• Major depressive disorder affects approximately 9.9 million American adults, or about 5.0 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year
• Nearly twice as many women (6.5 percent) as men (3.3 percent) suffer from major depressive disorder each year. These figures translate to 6.7 million women and 3.2 million men
• While major depressive disorder can develop at any age, the average age at onset is the mid-twenties

Bipoloar Disorder

• Bipolar disorder affects approximately 2.3 million American adults, or about 1.2 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year
• Men and women are equally likely to develop bipolar disorder
• The average age at onset for a first manic episode is the early twenties

Suicide

• In 2000, 29,350 people died by suicide in the U.S.
• More than 90 percent of people who kill themselves have a diagnosable mental disorder, commonly a depressive disorder or a substance abuse disorder
• The highest suicide rates in the U.S. are found in white men over age 85
• In 2000, suicide was the third leading cause of death among 15 to 24 year olds
• Four times as many men as women die by suicide; however, women attempt suicide two to three times as often as men

Bipolar Disorder (Manic-Depression)

• Almost one-third of six to twelve year old children diagnosed with major depression will develop bipolar disorders within a few years. (Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry)