Foundation of Hope

Mental Illness Facts

• The #1 reason for hospital admissions nationwide is psychiatric disorder.
• Mental illnesses are far more common than cancer, diabetes, heart disease, or arthritis (approximately 54 million people in the US suffer with mental illnesses).
• Mental illness will impact 1 out of 4 families.
• Approximately 2.5 million Americans suffer from a schizophrenic disorder.
• Mental illness can and does strike all age groups, nationalities, genders, and economic backgrounds.
• The cost of mental illness to society, including lost productivity, absenteeism, and substance abuse, exceeds $180 billion a year.
• 1/4 of all Social Security Disability payments are for individuals with a severe mental illness.

How does this affect North Carolina?

• 22.1% or 1,392,371 of North Carolina adults (ages 18 and older) have a diagnosable mental disorder.
• 9.5% or 598,532 NC adults have a depressive disorder.
• 11.1% or 699,336 NC adults received mental health treatment in a year.
• 18.4% or 374,715 North Carolina youth (age 12-17) received mental health treatment in a year.
• The approximate cost of mental illness in North Carolina is $4.7 Billion.

Facts compiled from information provided by: National Mental Health Association, National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD), and National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI).