Mental health statistics 2024
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Updated 7:59 p.m. UTC March 12, 2024
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Key points
- Mental illness affects more than 50 million Americans.
- A large percentage of people go without treatment for mental illness every year.
- Cost is the biggest reason people go without the help they need; a robust health insurance plan could make a difference.
Mental illness is a pervasive problem among adults and children in the U.S., but we often don’t treat our mental health as well as we do our physical health. Below, we’ll explore several mental health statistics to better understand how many Americans struggle with mental health issues — and why they may not be seeking care.
How many people have a mental illness?
We often focus our health conversations on the physical, treating mental illness as something private and even stigmatized. But a large portion of the American public experience some sort of mental illness — and being able to talk openly about it (and seek help) is important.
Over 20% of American adults (more than 50 million) experience some sort of mental illness every year, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), and 5% encounter a more serious mental health concern every year.1
And it’s not just adults: 1 in 6 kids ages six to 17 in the U.S. experience a mental health disorder.1 Suicide remains the second-leading cause of death among all U.S. children ages 10 to 14.1
What is the most common mental illness?
Anxiety is the most commonly reported mental illness among U.S. adults, with nearly 1 in 5 (19.1%) affected. Major depressive episodes impact 8.3% of adults.1
Less commonly reported are illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Fewer than 1% of Americans have schizophrenia.
How many people have a mental illness in each state?
Utah is the state with the highest rate of mental illness, with nearly 30% of adults in the state reporting or seeking help for mental health concerns. Oregon, West Virginia, Kansas and Oklahoma round out the top five.2
Florida is the state with the lowest rate of mental illness, with 17.49% of adults reporting or seeking help for mental health concerns. Also in the bottom five are Georgia, Maryland, Hawaii and Texas.2
Note that this data is based on self-reported mental illness. Many who are affected by a mental illness do not seek help.
How many people with a mental illness don’t get treatment?
More than half of U.S. adults with a mental illness (55%) are not getting treatment, according to a recent study by Mental Health America. That’s more than 28 million adults without the mental health care they need. Of those 28 million, more than a quarter (27%) reported having serious psychological distress in the past month.2
How many people in each state don’t get mental health treatment?
Hawaii has the highest rate of untreated mental health issues. Nearly 70% of people in Hawaii with a diagnosed mental health issue don’t get treatment. Montana has the lowest rate of untreated mental health issues. Around 40% of people in Montana with a mental health issue don’t get treatment.2
Why are so many Americans going without treatment for their mental health issues? Cost is the main prohibitive factor, according to a recent Mental Health America study:2
- 42% said they cannot afford mental health care.
- 17% said their health insurance doesn’t pay enough for treatment.
Other reasons for not seeking treatment for mental illness include not knowing where to get help (27%), believing they can treat the issue on their own (26%) and not having enough time to seek treatment (19%).2
States with the highest rate of depression
Depression affects more than a quarter of U.S. adults in West Virginia, the only state above 25%. Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas and Louisiana also have a higher-than-average rate of adults with depression.3
Hawaii has the lowest rate of adults with depression (12.7%), but Hawaii is also notably the state with the highest rate of untreated mental illness — and these depression statistics are based on adults who self-report a professional diagnosis.3
Other states with low rates of self-reported depression include California, Illinois, Florida and New Jersey.3
How many suicides happen in the United States each year?
Suicide continues to be a leading cause of death in America, with 49,449 people dying by suicide in 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).4
States with the highest suicide rate
Montana has the highest rate of suicide nationwide, with 32 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021, the most recent year for which the CDC provides state-level data. Alaska, New Mexico, South Dakota and Colorado also have a higher-than-average suicide rate.5
New Jersey is the state with the lowest rate of suicide, with around seven deaths per 100,000 people. Other states with lower rates of suicide include New York and Massachusetts.5 These are the number of suicides by state per 100,000 people, rounded to the nearest whole number.
Children and mental health
Children are not immune to mental health issues. In fact, 11.5% of youth experience severe major depression, with higher rates (16.5%) for children identifying as more than one race.2
More than 16% of youth ages 12 to 17 experienced a major depressive episode in the past year.2
States with the highest rate of childhood depression
Oregon has the highest rate of childhood depression, with more than 21% of youths affected. Idaho, Vermont, Montana and Nebraska all also have more than 1 in 5 children with depression.2
Childhood depression is least prevalent in New Jersey, with around 12.6% of youths affected. South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Delaware also have lower-than-average rates.2
Mental health and health insurance
More than 2 in 5 Americans say they don’t seek help for anxiety, depression and other mental illnesses simply because they can’t afford the care they need. Even many with insurance, many (17%) say they still can’t afford treatment.
If you’re suffering from mental health issues and don’t have health insurance (or health insurance that provides enough coverage for the care), the Affordable Care Act now ensures that most health insurance plans, including all those on the Health Insurance Marketplace, cover mental health services.6
On a tight budget? Best affordable health insurance companies
Article sources
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