Today is World Mental Health Day, which aims to raise awareness about mental health issues around the world and mobilize efforts to support mental health.
This year’s theme is mental health in the workplace, looking at how our workplace experience can be improved to promote mental health and wellbeing.
Globally, more than 300 million people suffer from depression, and 260 million suffer from anxiety disorders—many of whom live with both conditions. A study by the World Health Organization found that such disorders cost the global economy $1 trillion in lost productivity each year.
Here’s a deeper look at how mental health issues affect Americans:
- 1 in 5 (or 43.8 million) adults experience mental illness in a given year.
- 1 in 25 (or 10 million) adults experience a serious mental illness.
- 1 in 100 (or 2.4 million) live with schizophrenia.
- 2.6% (or 6.1 million) of Americans have bipolar disorder.
- 6.9% (or 16 million) suffer from severe depression.
- 18.1% (or 42 million) live with an anxiety disorder.
- 90% of those who die by suicide have an underlying mental illness.
And yet:
- Only 41% of adults with a mental health condition received help and less than 50% of children 8-15 received mental health services.
- Only 36.9% of those suffering from anxiety receive treatment.
- Less than 20% of Americans with moderate depressive symptoms sought help from a medical professional.
- And 4% of young adults with self-reported mental health needs forego care.
While the statistics might seem discouraging, there are a number of ways to get help if you or a loved one is struggling with a mental health condition.
This year, Google launched a depression screening test that appears alongside search results for depression-related queries. Many companies offer Employee Assistance Programs, which provide support or benefits to employees with personal and/or work-related issues. And the National Alliance on Mental Health provides a number of ways to seek support, including helplines, programs, and fact sheets.
For more information directly related to mental health in the workplace, see the World Health Organization.
Statistics compiled from the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI), the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), the American Psychological Association (APA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH).
