facts on mental illness and homelessness

From the National Alliance for Mental Illness:

• Approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. experiences mental illness in a given year.
• Approximately 1 in 20 adults in the U.S. experiences a serious mental illness in a given year that  substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities.
• Approximately 1 in 6 youth experiences a severe mental disorder at some point during their life.  
• 50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% by age 24
• Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people aged 10-14 
• 21.1% of people experiencing homelessness in the U.S. have a serious mental health condition

From the National Alliance for Mental Illness:

Having a mental illness can make it challenging to live everyday life and maintain recovery. Beyond the individual, these challenges ripple out through our families, our communities, and our world.

PERSON

• People with depression have a 40% higher risk of developing cardiovascular and metabolic diseases than the general population. People with serious mental illness are nearly twice as likely to develop these conditions.
• 33.5% of U.S. adults with mental illness also experienced a substance use disorder in 2021 (19.4 million individuals)
• The rate of unemployment is higher among U.S. adults who have mental illness (7.4%) compared to those who do not (4.6%)
• High school students with significant symptoms of depression are more than twice as likely to drop out compared to their peers
• Students aged 6-17 with mental, emotional or behavioral concerns are 3x more likely to repeat a grade.

FAMILY

• At least 8.4 million people in the U.S. provide care to an adult with a mental or emotional health issue
• Caregivers of adults with mental or emotional health issues spend an average of 32 hours per week providing unpaid care

COMMUNITY

• 21.1% of people experiencing homelessness in the U.S. have a serious mental health condition
• Among people in the U.S. under age 18, depressive disorders are the most common cause of hospitalization (after excluding hospitalization relating to pregnancy and birth)
• Among people in the U.S. aged 18-44, psychosis spectrum and mood disorders account for nearly 600,000 hospitalizations each year
• 19.7% of U.S. Veterans experienced a mental illness in 2020 (3.9 million people)
• 9.6% of Active Component service members in the U.S. military experienced a mental health or substance use condition in 2021
• Across the U.S. economy, serious mental illness causes $193.2 billion in lost earnings each year