Facts About Mental Illness:

(Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia or Depression)

• The number one reason for hospital admissions nationwide is a biological, psychiatric disorder.

• With proper treatment, 60% to 80% of individuals living with mental illness can return to normal, productive lives, and almost everyone receives some benefit from treatment.

• Anyone can have a mental illness, regardless of age, gender, race, or income.

• Most people with mental illness who need treatment can be treated more effectively and at less cost in community settings than traditional psychiatric hospitals.

• The most effective service system for treating a mental illness is one that combines a fill range of treatment options, with assistance in securing affordable housing, income support, health care services, employment training, social services, social and recreational opportunities and, as needed, the most effective medication as prescribed by their physician.

• Of the 325,000 + adults and children in Virginia with a serious mental illness approximately 52,000 receive some kind of treatment from the state’s public mental health system.

• One in five people will experience mental illness in their lifetime and one in four of us knows someone personally who has a mental illness.

• More then 54 million Americans have a mental disorder in any given year, although fewer then 8 million seek treatment.

• Schizophrenia affects 1% of the population.

• Less than 50% of those with schizophrenia actually receive treatment.

• In 1994, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reported that almost half of all very low-income disabled residents – including persons with serious mental illness – have “worst case” needs for housing assistance.

• It is estimated that up to one in three individuals who experience homelessness has a mental illness.

• The unemployment rate among adults with serious and persistent mental disorders hovers at 90%.

• Four out of the ten leading causes of disability for persons age 5 and older are mental disorders.

• Mental illness, including suicide, accounts for more than 15 percent of the “burden of disease” in established market economies, such as the United States. This is more than the disease burden caused by all cancers.

• Nearly two-thirds of all people with diagnosable mental disorders do not seek treatment. Stigma surrounding the receipt of mental health treatment is among the many barriers that discourage people from seeking treatment.

• The current prevalence estimate is that about 20% of the U.S. population is affected by mental disorders during a given year.

• Average annual costs for major psychiatric medications include: Clozaril ($6,200), Paxil ($711), Prozac ($808), Risperidone ($2,800), zoloft ($852), and Zyprexa ($3,000). It is important to note that most people living with severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are prescribed several medications (including drugs to treat side effects) rather than a single drug.