Social Statistics:
- 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 illness.
- 70% of youth in juvenile justice systems have at least one mental illness condition and at least 20% live with a serious mental illness.
More Social Statistics:
- 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 aged 8-15 received mental health services in the previous year.
- African Americans and Hispanic Americans used mental health services at about one-half the rate of Caucasian Americans in the past year and Asian Americans at about one-third the rate.
- Half of all chronic mental illness begins by age 14.
- Three-quarters of all chronic mental illness begins by age 24.
- Despite effective treatment, there are long delays—sometimes decades—between the first appearance of symptoms and when people get help.
Consequences For the Lack of Treatment for Mental Illness:
- Serious mental illness costs America $193.2 billion in lost earnings per year.
- Mental illness 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.
- 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 illness age 14–21 and older who are served by special education drop out—the highest dropout rate of any disability group.
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 saves lives.
Opening the dialogue about mental illness saves lives.
Sharing your story will help 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.
Please check out
“There’s Glory in Sharing Your Story”
stories from last year.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
May your cup of life overflow with love, joy, peace, wellness and many other blessings.
“What if trials of this life are your mercies in disguise? What if? What if???
The rain. The storms. The hardest nights. Are your mercies in disguise.”
Please enjoy this worshop video. Happy Sunday.
Blessings by Laura Story (with Lyrics)
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My Loud Whispers of Hope 