By the Numbers
Mental health stigma.
It's a thing.
But it's just one of those things that we seem to just accept and move on, live our lives, do the best we can in this crazy world of ours. It's seemingly one of those things that we say to ourselves, “Eh,it's just how the world is these days.”
And that's true. It's a subject that is, unfortunately, a thing that will be with us for a long time. I've seen it myself, quite often. I've experienced it first hand growing up. And I continue to see it on a daily basis.
But with many of the issues that we see these days, from school shootings to suicides to online bullying to so many other different things, they could have been prevented by acceptance, understanding, and self-awareness.
1.) Acceptance. Accepting that everyone is different, and our differences makes us unique. Accepting that others are different, not weird or strange or crazy.
And finally, acceptance that it's okay if you have severe anxiety. That it's okay if you are depressed. It's okay if you have bipolar disorder.
You aren't alone.
2.) Understanding. Understanding goes a long ways to acceptance. But if you want to accept others and accept yourself, you first need to understand what it is.
And be able to put yourself in other people's shoes. That one is called Empathy.
3.) And finally...Self-awareness. This is huge. And not everyone will find it. Be aware of your actions and how they can affect others. Be aware of your own “shortcomings” and whether or not it needs to be “fixed”. Sometimes, believe it or not, you do not need to be “fixed”. You can just be...
You.
Anyway. I'm sure I'll cover more of this later. For now, though, mental health stigma.
It's a thing.
And I think the only way to fight that is to spread awareness. Talk about it. Write about it. Poke fun at it. Understand it. Accept it.
At some point, I will do a deep dive into the history of Mental Health and how far it has come. And it has come far. But we still have a ways to go.
The numbers speak for themselves.
The following statistics were found on the NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) website. It can be found here: https://www.nami.org/about-mental-illness/mental-health-by-the-numbers/
To summarize:
“Millions of people in the U.S. are affected by mental illness each year. It’s important to measure how common mental illness is, so we can understand its physical, social and financial impact — and so we can show that no one is alone. These numbers are also powerful tools for raising public awareness, stigma-busting and advocating for better health care.” (NAMI, Mental Health By the Numbers)
Remember, these are stats taken from just one country, the United States. I am sure there are stats taken from other countries, and the world at large, but the numbers might be skewed depending on each country's viewpoints on mental health and mental illness. That's also to say that not everything gets reported....
Or believed.
“Mental Health by the Numbers is based on the most current and representative sources available, according to NAMI. Data is from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and others.” (NAMI, Mental Health By the Numbers)
Last updated in 2025, so this is the most recent statistics.
So let's dive in.
~ More than 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year.
~ More than 1 in 20 U.S. adults experience serious mental illness each year.
~ More than 1 in 7 U.S. youth ages 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year.
~ 50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% by age 24.
~ Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people ages 10-24.
Now let's put this into context.
~ For every 5 adults you see, at least, at LEAST, 1 adult is suffering from mental illness.
~ For every 20 adults, at least 1 adult is suffering from a serious mental illness.
~ For every 7 of your classmates at school, at least 1 child or teenager has a mental health disorder.
~ And finally...Suicide is the SEOND leading cause of death among people ages 10-24....
I want to cry.
~ 23.4% of U.S. adults experienced mental illness in 2024 (61.5 million people). This represents more than 1 in 5 adults.
61.5 MILLION PEOPLE....
~ 5.6% of U.S. adults experienced serious mental illness in 2024 (14.6 million people). This represents 1 in 20 adults.
~ 16.5% of U.S. youth aged 6-17 experienced a mental health disorder in 2016 (7.7 million people). This represents more than 1 in 7 youth.
“This represents more than 1 in 7 YOUTH...
I want to cry again.
The next wave of statistics has more to do with the percentile number of the different kinds of mental illnesses (anxiety, depression, PTSD, Bipolar disorder, etc). Of particular note, the two I have the most experience with, are Major Depressive Disorders and Anxiety Disorders. Major Depressive Disorders number in at 15.5%, among adults, while Anxiety Disorders has a whopping 19.1% of US Adults.
To put this into perspective, for every 100 U.S. Adults, 15 of them have a Major Depressive Disorder, and 19 of them have an Anxiety Disorder. Of particular note, also, is the fact that many of them have not just one, but both!
NAMI also numbers its statistics based on demographic groups, such as Males, Females, Non-hispanics, Hispanics, Whites, Blacks. Multiracial, Indian, etc. The one that really leapt out at me was the number for the Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual demographic group: 53.2%. That's over half of U.S. adults who are experiencing/suffering from a mental health disorder. Over. Half.
I kid you not, it's depressing just reading up on these staggering numbers. But the problem is, they are just....numbers.
And it's way easy to overlook it all. They are just...numbers.
It doesn't fix anything.
It doesn't solve the world's problems.
It doesn't give you answers to life's mysteries.
They are just...numbers.
But.
Here's a question you should ask yourself:
“Why is there stigma attached to Mental Health when there is quite obviously a glaring need to make Mental Illness more universally accepted and recognized?”
According to Google:
“Stigma refers to negative attitudes, beliefs, and stereotypes people may hold towards those who experience mental health conditions. Stigma can prevent or delay people from seeking care or cause them to discontinue treatment.”
Did you know that your mental illness is directly tied to your physical health?
Absolutely.
Take a look.
~ Risk of cardiometabolic disease is up to 2x higher in people with mental illness compared to people without mental illness.
~ People with depression have a 40% higher risk of developing cardiac disease, hypertension, stroke, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, or obesity than the general population.
~ 34.5% of U.S. adults with mental illness also have a substance use disorder.
~ 6.9% of U.S. adults with mental illness are unemployed compared to 4.3% of U.S. adults without mental illness.
~ High school students with recent symptoms of depression are more than 2x as likely to drop out compared to their peers.
~ Students ages 6-17 with mental, emotional or behavioral problems are more than 2x as likely to repeat a grade.
~ At least 8.4 million people in the U.S. provide care to an adult with a mental or emotional health issue.
~ Caregivers of adults with mental or emotional health issues spend an average of 32 hours per week providing unpaid care.
Again, the numbers are truly staggering. And why mental illness remains such a controversial subject is beyond me.
I blame society.
One of these days I will go over the positive aspects of talking about your mental health, and why you should embrace the fact you have a “mental disorder”. Because is it really a disorder (yes, it can be!), or is it just uniquely...
You?
I'm Slightly Unhinged.
And that's okay.
Next blog post, I'll write a bit about my own personal mental health history. No this isn't a biography about my life. It's a biography about mental health. :)
See you soon!