facts on mental illness and homelessness

On any given night in Dallas and Collin counties, 4,410 people experience homelessness both on the streets and in the shelters. According to the Treatment Advocacy center, one third of people experiencing homelessness in the United States suffer from some form of severe mental illness. In a 2015 survey performed by the US Conference of Mayors, 22 cities were asked for the three largest causes of homelessness in their communities. Mental illness was the third largest cause for homelessness of single adults. 

Serious mental illnesses disrupt people’s ability to carry out essential aspects of daily life, such as self-care and household management. Mental illnesses may also prevent people from forming and maintaining stable relationships or cause people to misinterpret others’ guidance and react irrationally. This often results in pushing away caregivers, family, and friends who may be the force keeping that person from experiencing homelessness. Patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder are particularly vulnerable to conditions that lead to homelessness. Seeking out treatment was a difficult process as there was limited access to psychiatric hospitals and the number of hospital beds in these hospitals declined from 1998 to 2013. This led to increased risk of homelessness, incarceration, violence, and suicide.

[The above information was taken from an article published by the National Coalition for the Homeless.]

From the National Alliance for Mental Illness:

• Approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S.— 43.8 million, or 18.5%—experiences mental illness in a given year.
• Approximately 1 in 25 adults in the U.S.—9.8 million, or 4.0%—experiences a serious mental illness in a given year that  substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities.
• Approximately 1 in 5 youth aged 13–18 (21.4%) experiences a severe mental disorder at some point during their life. For children aged 8–15, the estimate is 13%.
• 1.1% of adults in the U.S. live with schizophrenia.
• 2.6% of adults in the U.S. live with bipolar disorder.
• 6.9% of adults in the U.S.—16 million—had at least one major depressive episode in the past year.
• 18.1% of adults in the U.S. experienced an anxiety disorder such as post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and specific phobias.
• Among the 20.2 million adults in the U.S. who experienced a substance use disorder, 50.5%—10.2 million adults—had a co-occurring mental illness.

• An estimated 26% of homeless adults staying in shelters live with serious mental illness and an estimated 46% live with  severe mental illness and/or substance use disorders.
• Approximately 20% of state prisoners and 21% of  local jail prisoners have “a recent history” of a mental health  condition.
• 70% of youth in juvenile justice systems have at least one mental health condition and at least 20% live with a serious mental illness.
• Only 41% of adults in the U.S. with a mental health condition received mental health services in the past year. Among adults  with a serious mental illness, 62.9% received mental health services in  the past year.
• Just over half (50.6%) of children with a mental health condition aged 8-15 received mental health services in the previous year.
• African Americans and Hispanic Americans each use  mental health services at about one-half the rate of Caucasian  Americans and Asian Americans at about one-third the rate.
• Half of all chronic mental illness begins by age 14; three-quarters by age 24. Despite effective treatment, there are long delays—sometimes decades—between the first appearance of symptoms and when people get help.

• Serious mental illness costs America $193.2 billion in lost earnings per year.
• Mood disorders, including major depression, dysthymic disorder and bipolar disorder, are the third most common cause of hospitalization in the U.S. for both youth and adults aged 18–44.
• Individuals living with serious mental illness face an increased risk of having chronic medical conditions.17 Adults in the U.S. living with  serious mental illness die on average 25 years earlier than others, largely due to treatable medical conditions.
• Over one-third (37%) of students with a mental health condition age 14­–21 and older who are served by special education drop out—the highest dropout rate of any disability group.
• Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the U.S.
• More than 90% of children who die by suicide have a mental health condition.
• Each day an estimated 18-22 veterans die by suicide.