“An overwhelming majority (90%) of people in the United States think the country is experiencing a mental health crisis,” according to a new survey from CNN in partnership with the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF).
According to the CNN and Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) poll, about half of adults say they have had a severe mental health crisis in their family, including in-person treatment for family members who were a threat to themselves or others, or family members who engaged in self-harming behaviors.
More than 1 in 5 adults describe their own mental health as only “fair” or “poor,” including extra-large shares of adults under the age of 30, adults who identify as LGBT and those with an annual income of less than $40,000.
A third of all adults said they felt anxious always or often over the course of the past year, including more than half of LGBT adults and those under 30. About 1 in 5 adults said they were often or always depressed or lonely over the past year, too.
Major sources of stress for a third or more of adults include personal finances and current and political events. About 1 in 4 adults also identified personal relationships and work, respectively, as major sources of stress.
Each year millions of Americans face the reality of living with a mental illness. And, each year it’s important to fight the stigma, provide support, educate the ourselves and the public, and advocate for policies that support people with mental illness and their families.
It’s imperative to understand that mental health illness and conditions do not discriminate based on socioeconomic status, race, color, gender or identity. Anyone can experience the challenges of mental illness regardless of their background.
However, socioeconomic status, background and identity can make access to mental health treatment much more difficult. Each year millions of Americans face the reality of living with a mental health condition and not receiving adequate treatment or care.
Know The Warning Signs
Distinguishing “normal” behaviors from possible signs of a mental illness isn’t always easy. There’s no simple test to label one’s actions and thoughts as mental illness, typical behavior or the result of a physical ailment, according to National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
Each illness has its own symptoms according to NAMI, but common signs of mental illness in adults and adolescents can include the following:
- Excessive worrying or fear
- Feeling excessively sad or low
- Confused thinking or problems concentrating and learning
- Extreme mood changes,including uncontrollable “highs” or feelings of euphoria
- Prolongedorstrongfeelingsofirritability or anger
- Avoiding friends and social activities
- Difficulties understanding or relating to other people
- Changes in sleeping habits or feeling tired and low energy
- Changes in eating habits such as increased hunger or lack of appetite
- Changes in sex drive
- Difficulty perceiving reality (delusions or hallucinations, in which a person experiences and senses things that don’t exist in objective reality)
- Inability to perceive changes in one’s own feelings, behavior or personality (“lack of insight” or anosognosia)
- Over use of substances like alcohol or drugs
- Multiple physical ailments without obvious causes (such as headaches, stomach aches, vague and ongoing “aches and pains”)
- Thinking about suicide
- Inability to carry out daily activities or handle daily problems and stress An intense fear of weight gain or concern with appearance
Mental health conditions can also begin to develop in young children, according to NAMI. Because they’re still learning how to identify and talk about thoughts and emotions, children’s most obvious symptoms are behavioral. Symptoms in children may include the following:
- Changes in school performance
- Excessive worry or anxiety; for instance, fighting to avoid bed or school
- Hyperactive behavior
- Frequent nightmares
- Frequent disobedience or aggression
- Frequent temper tantrums
It’s vitally important to promote awareness regarding the mental health challenges facing Americans. Here are a few facts (Source: NAMI):
- 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
- Annual prevalence of mental illness among U.S. adults, by demographic group:
- Non-Hispanic Asian: 13.9%
- Non-Hispanic white: 22.6%
- Non-Hispanic Black or African American: 17.3%
- Non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native: 18.7%
- Non-Hispanic mixed/multiracial: 35.8%
- Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander: 16.6%
- Hispanic or Latino: 18.4%
- Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual: 47.4%
- Annual prevalence among U.S. adults, by condition:
- Major Depressive Episode: 8.4% (21 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)
- 46.2% of U.S. adults with mental illness received treatment in 2020
- 64.5% of U.S. adults with serious mental illness received treatment in 2020
When mental illness is present, the potential for crisis is never far from mind. Crisis episodes related to mental illness can feel incredibly overwhelming. There’s the initial shock, followed by a flood of questions — the most prominent of which is: “What can we do?”
Like any other health crisis, it’s important to address a mental health emergency quickly and effectively. With mental health conditions, crises can be difficult to predict because, often, there are no warning signs. Crises can occur even when treatment plans have been followed and mental health professionals are involved. Unfortunately, unpredictability is the nature of mental illness.
There are a variety of treatment options available for people with mental illness and the best combination of treatment and other services will be different for each person. Recommendations are made by health care professionals based on the type of illness, the severity of symptoms and the availability of services. Treatment decisions should be made by the individual in collaboration with the treatment team and their family when possible.
If the situation is life-threatening, call 911 and ask for someone with mental health experience to respond.
References:
- https://nami.org/Get-Involved/Awareness-Events/Mental-Health-Awareness-Month
- https://nami.org/NAMI/media/NAMI-Media/PDFs/2022-SPAM-Partner-Guide.pdf
- https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/05/health/cnn-kff-mental-health-poll-wellness/index.html