Mental disorders are common both in the United States and internationally. 22.1 percent of Americans aged 18 and older suffer from mental disorders in a given year. Applied to the 1998 U.S. Census of Residential Population Estimates, this figure translates to 44.3 million people. Also, 4 of the 10 main causes of disabilities worldwide are mental disorders. These include severe depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, etc. At a given time, many people suffer from more than one mental disorder.
Mental disorders in the USA are diagnosed based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disease, fourth edition (DSM-IV).
Below are more details on these disorders and how ACCESS can help. Remember that you’re not alone, and medical professionals are here to help you:
1. Anxiety Disorders
- About 19.1 million American adults aged 18 to 54 have an anxiety disorder.
- Anxiety disorders also co-occur with depressive disorders, eating disorders, or drug abuse.
- A lot of people have more than one anxiety disorder.
- Women are much more likely to develop anxiety disorders than men. So panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, agoraphobia, and particular phobias affect about twice as many women as men. However, equal numbers of women and men have obsessive-compulsive disorder and social phobia.
Anxiety disorders are the most common form of mental illness in the general population. The most common anxiety conditions include generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder (SAD), and specific phobias, as well as panic disorder and agoraphobia, according to the Fifth Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM V). So, a generalized anxiety disorder can be characterized by excess stress over daily events. It usually does not cause concern in the general population.
Worrying is almost impossible to control. It must take place for at least six months in the majority of days. Diagnostic symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder are below:
- Restlessness
- Fatigue and lethargy
- Difficulty concentrating
- Irritability
- Muscle tension
- Sleep disturbance
2. Eating Disorders
- Females are much more likely than males to have eating disorders. Also, about 5 to 15 percent of patients with anorexia or bulimia are male, and men make up about 35% of people suffering from binge eating disorders.
- In their lifespan, anorexia is estimated at 0.5 percent to 3.7 percent of females, and binge eating is estimated at 1.1 percent to 4.2 percent.
- Community surveys have reported that between 2% and 5% of Americans develop binge eating disorders over 6 months.
Anorexia nervosa, binge feeding, and bulimia nervosa are the three most popular eating conditions. In the United States, they affect 30 million people. Eating disorders are commonly considered a different aspect of mental health disorders. Yet, eating disorder, particularly anorexia, has the highest death rate from any mental health disorder. Eating disorders also co-occur with mental health disorders.
Furthermore, the signs and symptoms associated with eating disorders include:
- Binging and purging
- Excessive workout
- Laxative or diuretic use
- Obsessive views on calorie counting, diet planning, and weight loss
- Low self-esteem
- unhealthy dietary habits, including hiding food or refusing to eat in public
3. Schizophrenia
- About 2.2 million American adults, 2 or around 1.1 percent of the population aged 18 and over, have schizophrenia in a given year.
- Schizophrenia affects men and women at a similar frequency.
- Schizophrenia also occurs earlier in men, typically in their late teens or early twenties. Women are generally affected in the twenties or early 30s.
Schizophrenia is a chronic and extreme mental disorder characterized by some psychotic symptoms. These symptoms change how a person acts, believes, behaves, and perceives reality. Hearing hallucinations (hearing voices) and delusions are the hallmarks of this disorder. As in many other mental health conditions, there is a severe stigma associated with schizophrenia. Individuals with schizophrenia may have such strange behavior that may scare those around them. This mental disorder can affect anybody, regardless of gender, socio-economic status, and ethnicity. Hence, we need to increase awareness to end the stigma associated with this mental health condition. Other common mental disorders that come within the spectrum of schizophrenia but differ in characteristics include:
- Schizophrenic depression
- Schizophrenic disorder
- Brief psychotic disorder
4. Depressive Disorders
- Major depressive depression, dysthymic disorder, and bipolar disorder are examples of depressive disorders. The term “bipolar disorder” is used. It is because people with this condition have both suicidal and bipolar episodes.
- Almost 18.8 million American adults, or around 9.5 percent of the U.S. population aged 18 and over in a given year, have a depressive disorder.
- About twice as many women (12.0 percent) as men (6.6 percent) have depressive disorders per year. These figures represent 12.4 million women and 6.4 million men in the U.S.
- As opposed to previous generations, individuals born in the last few decades are more likely to develop depressive disorders early in life.
- Depressive disorders are also associated with anxiety disorders and substance abuse.
5. Suicide
- In 1997, 30,535 people died of suicide in the U.S.
- More than 90% of those who kill themselves have diagnosable mental disorders in the USA. Because they usually have depressive disorders or substance abuse disorders.
- The highest suicide rates in the U.S. are observed in white men above the age of 85.
- The rate of suicide among young people has increased dramatically over the last few decades. Also seen in 1997, suicide was the leading cause of death for 15 to 24-year-olds.
- Four times as many men as women commit suicide; however, women commit suicide 2-3 times as often as men do.
6. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- ADHD, one of the most common mental disorders in the USA in children and teenagers. It affects an average of 4.1 percent of young people aged 9 to 17 in 6 months.
- Boys are affected 2-3 times more than females.
- ADHD typically manifests itself in pre-school or early primary school. Adolescence and adulthood are not resistant to the condition.
7. Autism
- It is estimated to affect 1 to 2 in 1,000 individuals.
- Autism and associated disorders (also known as autism spectrum disorders or general developmental disorders) arise in childhood. So they usually become apparent at age 3.
- It is around 4 times more common in boys than in girls. However, girls with illness tend to have more serious symptoms and more cognitive impairment.
8. Alzheimer’s Disease
- Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia in people aged 65 and over. It affects an estimated 4 million Americans.
- As more and more Americans live longer, the number of people affected by Alzheimer’s disease will increase. We need to discover a cure or successful prevention.
- The disease’s duration is 8 to 10 years on average, from the onset of symptoms to death.
The Bottom Line
It is also essential to institutionalize the treatment of mental disorders in the USA. Hence more workplaces need to make mental health allowances. As a result, more health providers need to cover behavioral therapy more thoroughly.
The more understood and discussed the effects of mental health disorders in our country, the greater hope we have of improving the quality of life for the many Americans who suffer from these disorders.
