Post a Day in May For Mental Health Awareness – Post #3

Prevalence of Mental Illness:

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 abuse disorder, 50.5%—10.2 million adults—had a co-occurring mental illness.

Suicide:

Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US, accounting for more than 1% of all deaths. It is the 2nd leading cause of death among people ages 15-24.
Suicide is the 3^rd leading cause of death for people aged 10–24.
More years of life are lost to suicide than to any other single cause except heart disease and cancer
44,000 Americans die by suicide each year.
There are 13.8 deaths by suicide per 100,000 persons each year.
There is one death by suicide for every 25 attempts.
40% of persons who complete suicide have made a previous attempt.
Nine of out ten people who attempt suicide and survive, do not go on to complete suicide at a later date.
Those with substance abuse disorders are six times more likely to complete suicide than those without.
The rate of completed suicide among men with alcohol/drug abuse problems is 2-3 times higher than among those without a problem.
Women who abuse substances are at 6-9 times higher risk of suicide compared to women who do not have a problem.
Although they may not call prevention centers, people considering suicide usually do seek help; for example, 64% of people who attempt suicide visit a doctor in the month before their attempt, and 38% in the week before.

That is horrific and breaks my heart. We MUST do something about this NOW.

I will be posting something important about mental illness every day throughout the month of May on my blog in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month.

Please keep visiting my blog My Loud Whispers of Hope and look for statistics or other beneficial information related to mental illness to increase awareness, educate, reduce mental illness stigma and prevent suicides.

It is crucial and imperative for all of us to get involved and save lives.

So, please visit my blog every day, but especially every day throughout the month of May.

Mental illness awareness and education can save lives.

Opening the dialogue about mental illness can save lives.

Sharing your story can save lives.

Please see my post about my campaign titled, “There’s Glory in Sharing Your Story.” I need your help. Please let me know if you want to share your story and I will post it on my blog.