Mental Illness Hit 1 in 5 U.S. Adults in Past Yea

A new survey finds that 20 percent of U.S. adults -- over 45 million people -- experienced mental illness in the past year.
Overall, 4.8 percent (11 million people) suffered serious mental illness, 8.4 million people had serious thoughts of suicide, 2.2 million made suicide plans, and one million attempted suicide, according to the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Nearly 20 percent (8.9 million) of adults with mental illness in the past year also had a substance abuse disorder, the report found. The rate was 25.7 percent for those with a serious mental illness -- about four times higher than the rate of 6.5 percent among people without a serious mental illness,
The survey was released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Among its other findings:
* Women are more likely than men to experience mental illness -- 23.8 percent vs. 15.6 percent.
* Young adults had the highest rate of mental woes (30 percent) while those aged 50 and older had the lowest rate (13.7 percent).

"Too many Americans are not getting the help they need and opportunities to prevent and intervene early are being missed," SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde said in an agency news release.

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