Mental Health Month 2022 Week 1

Stephanie Weatherly, DNP, PMH RN-BC, FACHE

Chief Clinical Officer

May 2, 2022

This week kicks off Mental Health Month (MHM) 2022. If this is the first May you have been on the PMC/ITP team, you are in for a great month! Every year our teams work diligently to stop the stigma and raise awareness of mental illness and its treatments in May. The pandemic’s effects make MHM even more important. According to WHO, far from being an equalizer, the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed just how vulnerable many of our social and health systems are in the face of major public health shocks. The impact of coronavirus on people from marginalized communities, particularly those with behavioral health conditions, who are experiencing disproportional health, economic, and social impacts from the evolving pandemic has been extreme. Let’s look at the prevalence of mental illness in America (according to the NIMH):

Any mental illness (AMI) is defined as a mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder. AMI can vary in impact, ranging from no impairment to mild, moderate, and even severe impairment.

Prevalence of AMI:

• In 2020, there were an estimated 52.9 million adults aged 18 or older in the United States with AMI. This number represented 21.0% of all U.S. adults.
• The prevalence of AMI was higher among females (25.8%) than males (15.8%).
• Young adults aged 18-25 years had the highest prevalence of AMI (30.6%) compared to adults aged 26-49 years (25.3%) and aged 50 and older (14.5%).
• The prevalence of AMI was highest among the adults reporting two or more races (35.8%), followed by White adults (22.6%). The prevalence of AMI was lowest among Asian adults (13.9%).

Mental Health Services – AMI:

• In 2020, among the 52.9 million adults with AMI, 24.3 million (46.2%) received mental health services in the past year.
• More females with AMI (51.2%) received mental health services than males with AMI (37.4%).
• The percentage of young adults aged 18-25 years with AMI who received mental health services (42.1%) was lower than adults with AMI aged 26-49 years (46.6%) and aged 50 and older (48.0%).

Serious mental illness (SMI) is defined as a mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder resulting in serious functional impairment, which substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities. The burden of mental illnesses is particularly concentrated among those who experience disability due to SMI.

Prevalence of SMI:

• In 2020, there were an estimated 14.2 million adults aged 18 or older in the United States with SMI. This number represented 5.6% of all U.S. adults.
• The prevalence of SMI was higher among females (7.0%) than males (4.2%).
• Young adults aged 18-25 years had the highest prevalence of SMI (9.7%) compared to adults aged 26-49 years (6.9%) and aged 50 and older (3.4%).
• The prevalence of SMI was highest among the adults reporting two or more races (9.9%), followed by American Indian / Alaskan Native (AI/AN) adults (6.6%). The prevalence of SMI was lowest among Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander (NH/OPI) adults (1.2%).

Mental Health Services – SMI:

• In 2020, among the 14.2 million adults with SMI, 9.1 million (64.5%) received mental health treatment in the past year.
• More females with SMI (69.9%) received mental health treatment than males with SMI (54.9%).
• The percentage of young adults aged 18-25 years with SMI who received mental health treatment (57.6%) was lower than adults with SMI aged 26-49 years (63.0%) and aged 50 and older (72.9%).

These sobering statistics point out the work still to be done. The work you do this month will be important in spreading awareness and reducing stigma for those living with mental illness. I am looking forward to hearing about the amazing events you are hosting and the lives you are touching.

I appreciate all you do to make those living with mental illness live better lives!