Quick Facts and Statistics About Mental Health

Quick Facts and Statistics About Mental Health

46%
46 percent of Americans

Will meet the criteria for a diagnosable mental health condition sometime in their life.

General Mental Health Data

Nearly 1 in 5 American adults will have a diagnosable mental health condition in any given year. [Source]

46 percent of Americans will meet the criteria for a diagnosable mental health condition sometime in their life, and half of those people will develop conditions by the age of 14. [Source]

Prevalence by Condition*

Overall

  • Number of US Adults with Mental Illness: 50 million [Source]
  • Percent of US Adults with Mental Illness: 19.86% [Source]

Anxiety

  • Lifetime prevalence of any Anxiety Disorder: 31.6% [Source]
  • Number of US Adults with Anxiety Disorders: 42.5 million [Source]
  • Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental illnesses in America

Addiction/Substance Use Disorder

  • Percent of US Adults with a Substance Use Disorder in the Past Year: 7.74% [Source]
  • Number of US Adults with a Substance Use Disorder in the Past Year: 19 million [Source]
  • Percent of Youth with a Substance Use Disorder in the Past Year: 4.08% [Source]
  • Number of Youth with a Substance Use Disorder in the Past Year: 1 million [Source]

Bipolar Disorder

  • Past year prevalence of Bipolar Disorder: 1.8% [Source]
  • Number of US Adults with Bipolar Disorder: 3.3 million [Source]
  • An estimated 2.5% of US adults experience bipolar disorder at some time in their lives. [Source]

Depression

  • Percent of US Adults with Major Depression: 8.4% [Source]
  • Number of US Adults with Depression: 21 million [Source] 
  • Percent of Youth (aged 12-17) with Major Depression: 15.1% [Source]
  • Number of Youth (aged 12-17) with Major Depression: 3.7 million [Source]
  • Percent of Youth with Severe Depression: 10.6% [Source]
  • Number of Youth with Severe Depression: 2.5 million [Source]
  • Major depression is one of the most common mental illnesses. [Source]

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

  • Percent of People (ages 13+) in US with PTSD (Lifetime prevalence): 5.7% [Source]
  • Percent of People (ages 13+) in US with PTSD (One year prevalence): 3.7% [Source]
  • Number of US Adults with PTSD: 12 million [Source]

Schizophrenia

  • Percent of US Adults with Schizophrenia: <1% [Source]
  • Number of US Adults with Schizophrenia: ~1.5 million [Source]

Suicidal Thoughts

  • Percent of US Adults with Suicidal Thoughts: 4.58% [Source]
  • Number of US Adults with Suicidal Thoughts: 11.4 million [Source]

*Only a few conditions or topics are represented here.
To learn more about other mental health conditions not specified here, visit:

Mental Health Information A-Z

Prevalence of Mental Health Conditions in Specific Populations

Black/African American Community

  • Percent of African Americans with Mental Illness: 16% [Source]
  • Number of African Americans with Mental Illness: 7 million

Latinx/Hispanic American Community

  • Percent of Latinx/Hispanic Americans with Mental Illness: 16% [Source]
  • Number of Latinx/Hispanic Americans with Mental Illness: 10 million

Asian American/Pacific Islander Community

  • Percent of Asian Americans with Mental Illness: 15% [Source]
  • Number of Asian Americans with Mental Illness: 2.9 million

Native American/Alaskan Native Community

  • Percent of Native Americans/Alaskan Natives with Mental Illness: 19% [Source]
  • Number of Native Americans/Alaskan Natives with Mental Illness: 827,000

Multiracial

  • Percent of people who identify as being two or more races with mental illness: 25% [Source]
  • People who identity as being two or more races are most likely to report any mental illness within the past year than any other race/ethnic group.

LGBTQ+ Community

  • Percent of Individuals who Identify as LGBTQIA+ with Mental Illness: 39%
  • Number of Individuals who Identify as LGBTQIA+ with Mental Illness: 5.8 million [Source]

Mental Health America released a report on LGBTQ+ mental health using data gathered from our online screening tools here.

Treatment

  • Percent of adults with mental illness who did not receive any mental health treatment: 56% [Source]
  • Number of adults with mental illness who did not receive any mental health treatment: 27 million [Source]
  • Percent of adults with mental Illness who report they try and can't get treatment: 24.7% [Source]
  • Number of adults with mental Illness who report they try and can't get treatment: 12.2 million [Source]
  • Percent of youth with depression who did not receive any mental health treatment: 60.3% [Source]
  • Number of youth with depression who did not receive any mental health treatment: 2.17 million [Source]
  • Percent of youth with severe depression who received some consistent treatment: 27.2% [Source]
  • Number of youth with severe depression who received some consistent treatment: 661,000 [Source]
  • Ratio of individuals in a state to available mental health providers: 504 to 1 [Source]

Insurance Coverage

  • Percent of US Adults with Mental Illness who are Uninsured: 11.1% [Source]
  • Number of US Adults with Mental Illness who are Uninsured: 5.5 million [Source]
  • Percent of youth with private insurance that did not cover mental or emotional problems: 8.1% [Source]
  • Number of youth with private insurance that did not cover mental or emotional problems: 950,000 [Source]