I wanted to start this thread so that those of us in our community that suffer from mental illnesses might share their stories and experiences and we might be able to discuss them, sympathize with each other and maybe even do a little group therapy.
Here are some facts from the National Alliance for Mental Illness:
1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year
1 in 20 U.S. adults experience serious mental illness each year
1 in 6 U.S. youth aged 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 aged 10-34
You Are Not Alone
20.6% of U.S. adults experienced mental illness in 2019 (51.5 million people). This represents 1 in 5 adults.
5.2% of U.S. adults experienced serious mental illness in 2019 (13.1 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)
3.8% of U.S. adults experienced a co-occurring substance use disorder and mental illness in 2019 (9.5 million people)
Annual prevalence of mental illness among U.S. adults, by demographic group:
Non-Hispanic Asian: 14.4%
Non-Hispanic white: 22.2%
Non-Hispanic black or African-American: 17.3%
Non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native: 18.7%
Non-Hispanic mixed/multiracial: 31.7%
Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander: 16.6%
Hispanic or Latino: 18.0%
Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual: 44.1%
Annual prevalence among U.S. adults, by condition:
Major Depressive Episode: 7.8% (19.4 million people)
Schizophrenia: <1% (estimated 1.5 million people)
Bipolar Disorder: 2.8% (estimated 7 million people)
Anxiety Disorders: 19.1% (estimated 48 million people)
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: 3.6% (estimated 9 million people)
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: 1.2% (estimated 3 million people)
Borderline Personality Disorder: 1.4% (estimated 3.5 million people)
Mental Health Care Matters
44.8% of U.S. adults with mental illness received treatment in 2019
65.5% of U.S. adults with serious mental illness received treatment in 2019
50.6% of U.S. youth aged 6-17 with a mental health disorder received treatment in 2016
The average delay between onset of mental illness symptoms and treatment is 11 years
Annual treatment rates among U.S. adults with any mental illness, by demographic group:
Male: 36.8%
Female: 49.7%
Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual: 49.2%
Non-Hispanic Asian: 23.3%
Non-Hispanic white: 50.3%
Non-Hispanic black or African-American: 32.9%
Non-Hispanic mixed/multiracial: 43.0%
Hispanic or Latino: 33.9%
10.9% of U.S. adults with mental illness had no insurance coverage in 2019
11.9% of U.S. adults with serious mental illness had no insurance coverage in 2019
55% of U.S. counties do not have a single practicing psychiatrist
The Ripple Effect Of Mental Illness
PERSON
People with depression have a 40% higher risk of developing cardiovascular and metabolic diseases than the general population. People with serious mental illness are nearly twice as likely to develop these conditions.
18.4% of U.S. adults with mental illness also experienced a substance use disorder in 2019 (9.5 million individuals)
The rate of unemployment is higher among U.S. adults who have mental illness (5.8%) compared to those who do not (3.6%)
High school students with significant symptoms of depression are more than twice as likely to drop out compared to their peers
Students aged 6-17 with mental, emotional or behavioral concerns are 3x more likely to repeat a grade.
FAMILY
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
COMMUNITY
Mental illness and substance use disorders are involved in 1 out of every 8 emergency department visits by a U.S. adult (estimated 12 million visits)
Mood disorders are the most common cause of hospitalization for all people in the U.S. under age 45 (after excluding hospitalization relating to pregnancy and birth)
Across the U.S. economy, serious mental illness causes $193.2 billion in lost earnings each year
20.5% of people experiencing homelessness in the U.S. have a serious mental health condition
37% of adults incarcerated in the state and federal prison system have a diagnosed mental illness
70.4% of youth in the juvenile justice system have a diagnosed mental illness
41% of Veteran’s Health Administration patients have a diagnosed mental illness or substance use disorder
WORLD
Depression and anxiety disorders cost the global economy $1 trillion in lost productivity each year
Depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide
It’s Okay To Talk About Suicide
Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people aged 10-34 in the U.S.
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S.
The overall suicide rate in the U.S. has increased by 35% since 1999
46% of people who die by suicide had a diagnosed mental health condition
90% of people who die by suicide had shown symptoms of a mental health condition, according to interviews with family, friends and medical professionals (also known as psychological autopsy)
Lesbian, gay and bisexual youth are 4x more likely to attempt suicide than straight youth
78% of people who die by suicide are male
Transgender adults are nearly 12x more likely to attempt suicide than the general population
Annual prevalence of serious thoughts of suicide, by U.S. demographic group:
4.8% of all adults
11.8% of young adults aged 18-25
18.8% of high school students
46.8% of lesbian, gay, and bisexual high school students
Mental illnesses come in all sorts of forms and degrees of severity. They are treated in all sorts of ways from medication, therapy, family support, shock treatments, hospitalization, meditation, prayer and others. They all work to various degrees and most often one receives or participates in multiple manners of healing to mitigate the effects of the illness(es).
And mental illness does not affect just the person that has it, the illness can be devastating to loved ones that deal with the illness. Watching a loved one suffer, especially if that loved one doesn't try to properly deal with their mental health can tear individuals and families apart.
Support and education can mitigate the effects of mental issues. Self awareness is vital to tackle the problem and lessen the effects and control that a mental illness or issue has over you. Thinking over feeling before doing is a motto I try to live by. And why? Well, I have made no secret of it on this board that I have mental health issues.
So let me share some of my experiences:
I was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder as a young child. I went to therapy both at a medical facility and at school with a guidance counselor on a regular basis to talk, though at the time, I had no idea why. I didn't start on meds until I was nearly 30 years old.
I often got depressed and self isolated and never felt comfortable in large groups and child peer pressure created terrible anxiety and anger. Witnessing the deleterious effects of the disease in my mother didn't help. It tore our family into pieces with my siblings always looking to me, the strongest, most intelligent and most resourceful of us for support. This pressure to help them only manifested in poor behavior and eventually self medication to cope, as my parents never told me about my own issues or why I was seeing therapists and guidance counselors. I only found out why and what I had decades later from them after my own problems began to rip apart the fabric of my own family.
I am bi-polar, though more depressive than manic. I have seasonal depressive disorder that hits me rather severely in the spring. I also have social and other anxiety issues. Getting these things under control, understanding them, and doing all I can to remain healthy, has been a 30 year struggle.
Many things helped. The love, support and understanding of friends and loved ones was huge, but my wife never understood and it eventually lead to a divorce after 28 years of marriage. As I said, mental health issues don't affect just the person with it, it affects those closest to them as well. The crippling effects of it on my mother hurt everyone from my dad, my siblings and I, our significant others and even her grandchildren....my children....who saw and experienced it from both their grandma and their dad.
All this can lead to some very poor decisions, such as hiding your problems, trying to spend your way to happiness with money you don't have, self medication that can lead to alcoholism, gambling addiction and drug addiction, and eventually to thoughts and implementation of suicide.
I was very close to suicide twice in my life. The darkness that takes hold of you as you spiral down into a place where all you want is for all the pain and suffering to end is devastating. Hopelessness and regret takes over simultaneously, which is why so many who commit the act write apology letters to loved ones.
Luckily, I sought help and kept thinking of my three boys and how it would affect them. That kept me alive. That led me to help to education to self awareness and eventually to relative control over the illness. But I still suffer. I can have bad weeks. Yes weeks. Those with mental health don't have bad days. The effects don't come and go in a day. The linger for long periods of time.
Well that's my story. If it helped or gave hope to even one of you, my CelticsStrong family, then this thread has done it's job.
One thing I ask is as people share things here, be positive and respectful. There is already a stigma regarding mental health that those that suffer have to overcome. Please, I beg you, don't bring that to this thread.
Anyway, I now open the floor to all of you.