Nearly 50 percent of those seeking mental health care rely on self-payment to pay for the costs of the treatment. (American Journal of Psychiatry, September 1994) More than 51 million Americans have a mental disorder in single year, although only about 8 million (16 percent) seek treatment. (NIMH & CMHS, 1994) During the course of any given year, while more than 40 million adult Americans are affected by one or more mental disorders, 6.5 million Americans are disabled by severe mental illnesses. (NIMH, 1990) Studies indicate that 1 in 5 children and adolescents (20 percent) may have a diagnosable disorder. Estimates of the number of children who have mental disorders range from 7.7 million to 12.8 million. (CMHS, 1993). These youth are estimated to have severe emotional or behavioral problems that significantly interfere with their daily functioning. Less than one-third of the children under age 18 with a serious emotional disturbance receive mental health services. Often, the services are inappropriate. (Children's Defense Fund) (CMHS-Mental Health, U.S., 1994) An estimated 19.9 million Americans-8.8 percent of the population experience phobias. About 9.1 million-5.1 percent-live with major depression. Some 3.9 million have obsessive compulsive disorder; 2.0 million have schizophrenia; 2.4 million have panic disorder; and 2.0 million experience bipolar disorders. (NMHA, 1993), (Mental Health, U.S., 1994) As least two thirds of elderly nursing home residents have a diagnosis of a mental disorder such as major depression. (NIMH, 1990). Up to 25 percent of the population with AIDS will develop AIDS-related cognitive dysfunction. Two-thirds of all people with AIDS will develop neuropsychiatric problems. (Mental Health Liaison Group, 1993) A majority of the 29,000 Americans who commit suicide each year are believed to have a mental disorder. Suicide is the eighth leading cause of death in the U.S. and the third leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 24. (NIMH, 1994) Nearly one-third of the nation's estimated 600,000 homeless Individuals are believed to be severely mentally ill adults. (CMHS, 1992) More than 1 in 14 jail Inmates has a mental illness. Twenty-nine percent of the nation's jails routinely hold people with mental illnesses without any criminal charges. (National Alliance for the Mentally III and Public Citizens Health Research Group, 1992) Economic Costs Mental Illnesses impose a multibillion dollar burden on the economy each year. total economic costs amounted to $147.8 billion In 1990. More than 31 percent of those costs-W.6 billion-are for anxiety disorder. (The Economic Burden of Affective Disorders, Dorothy P. Rice, Sc.D ., and Leonard Miller, Ph.D., 1993). Direct costs--expenditures for professional heath care for persons suffering from mental disorders, including care in mental specialty institutions, hospitals and nursing homes, physician and other professional services and prescription drugs-accounted for $67 billion, or 11.4 percent of all personal health care expenditures In 1990. (Rice and. Miller, 1993) Three independent studies between 1971 and 1985 found that mental health costs remained relatively constant during the past 20 years, ranging from 9 to 11 percent of direct treatment costs for health care ( Bazalon Center for Mental Health Law, 1993). Direct treatment and support costs comprise 45.3 percent of the total economic costs of mental disorders. The value of reduced or lost productivity comprise 42.7 percent of the total economic costs of mental disorders. Mortality costs comprise 8 percent and other related costs, including expenditure for criminal justice, the value of lost time due to incarceration and an imputed value for caregiver services, comprise 4 percent. (Rice and Miller, 1993) Morbidity costs-the value of goods and services not produced because of mental disorders-amounted to $63.1 billion for all mental disorders in 1990. Morbidity costs for anxiety disorders account for $34.2 billion; for schizophrenia, $10.7 billion. The morbidity costs for anxiety disorders reflect their prevalence In the population and the high rate of lost productivity. (Rice and Miller, 1993) Mortality costs-the current value of lifetime earnings lost by all who died in 1990 because of mental disorders-amounted to $11.8 billion In 1990. (Rice and Miller, 1993). Other related costs-the costs in directly related to the treatment and lost productivity of people with mental disorders-amounted to $6 billion in 1990 (Rice and Miller, 1993) For further information on these statistics, contact: Office of External Liaison, Center for Mental Health Services, 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 13-103, Rockville, MD 20857; Telephone (301) 443-2792; Fax (301) 443-2792 This fact sheet is generously supported by a grant from the William H. Donner Foundation. copyright 1997

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