The number of people with mental disorders is rising each decade, which is a serious issue.
Governments across the world are investing in public health for the safety, research, treatment, and awareness programs to combat the raising statics of mental illness.
In such investments, the programs for suicide prevention and substance users’ rehabilitation and setting up “national distress helplines” are major work. Every year, organizations and nations lose billions of dollars at work due to untreated mental diseases.
Statistics of Mental Health Issues in India
Indians have bad mental health due to stigma, limited awareness, and a lack of access to mental health care. Data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare shows that 7.3% of Indians with mental health problems sought therapy. According to the National Mental Health Mission (NMHM) 2023, 6–7% of Indians are suffering from one or more mental illnesses. The country has 0.3 psychologists per 100,000 people. In order to address mental health issues, the Indian government initiated the National Mental Health Program in 2017. This program aims to enhance mental health care and reduce stigma. The project promotes awareness, therapy funding, and mental health. The WHO estimates that 200 million Indians have mental health issues. Anxiety and melancholy, the most common mental health issues, impact 150 million Indians. Schizophrenia, bipolar disease, and other psychotic problems affect 20 million Indians. Drug and food problems are common.
Statistics of Mental Health Issues in the USA
According to a report by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI, 2020), “21% of Americans (1 out of 5) had a mental disease in 2020, where schizophrenia, bipolar illness, and eating problems are most prevalent.
- 5.6% of American adults have suffered from a serious mental illness.
- 18.1% of Americans have anxiety problems.
- 6.7% of adults have major depression, and 2.8% have bipolar illness.
- Eating disorders impact 3.5% of US women and 2% of men, while post-traumatic stress disorder affects 3.6% of adults.
- 8.1% of Americans have co-occurring substance abuse problems.
“Eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and binge eating, are the deadliest mental health conditions.”
Apart from eating disorders, two classes of disorders are most painful for both the patient and their families.
1. Clinical depression (major depression) and bipolar: In major depressive disorder (MDD), a person loses all interest in daily activities and lacks motivation. People with clinical depression may also have suicidal thoughts. Poor appetites, sleeplessness, and a lack of motivation are a few of the warning signs. America alone has 300 million people who suffer from clinical depression. Depression is one of the most commonly diagnosed mental illnesses in Indian hospitals and clinics, and more deaths happen due to this disorder alone.
2. Schizophrenia-spectrum disorders: People with this disorder lack a rational orientation towards reality. Schizophrenia has symptoms of delusions, hallucinations, disoriented thinking, and stereotypical behavior. It became difficult for carers to manage these patients at home, and it became lethal when the patient’s family was poor, had single parents, or had no one to care for him.
When depression and delusional disorders are left untreated, or if a person has more than one relapse, the symptoms are hard to control with any given medicine.
Companies and countries around the world are losing billions of dollars and productive working hours due to untreated mental illnesses; therefore, if you or a family member has a mental illness, don’t be afraid to seek treatment and don’t put it off. If you have a mental illness, you should always talk to an expert and stay away from those who offer alternative treatments.
PS: The same author first published this article on Quora.com as a response to a single question before editing it and publishing it here. The author owns all the rights to the content shared here.
References
CDC (2021, June 28). About Mental Health. Https://www.cdc.gov. Retrieved March 6, 2023, from https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/learn/index.htm
Govt. of India, M. H. F. W., MHFW (2023, February 24). National Mental Health Program (NMHP). Https://nhm.gov.in. Retrieved March 6, 2023, from https://nhm.gov.in/index1.php?lang=1&level=2&sublinkid=1043&lid=359
Organization, W. H., WHO (2022, June 17). Mental Health. Https://www.who.int. Retrieved March 6, 2023, from https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-strengthening-our-response
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