Rate of Mental Illness Is 'Staggering'
Rate of Mental Illness Is 'Staggering'
June 1, 2004 -- A World Health Organization study released Tuesday shows that rates of most mental illness are far higher in the U.S. than in any other country in the world.
At the same time, the study indicates that money used to treat mental health problems in the U.S. and abroad is not being spent in the most effective way possible.
Overall, the survey of more than 60,000 adults in 14 countries showed a 27% rate of mental disorders in the U.S. population for a list of diseases. That list includes: depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and substance abuse. The U.S. rate was substantially higher than that of any other country measured, including other industrialized nations such as Belgium, which showed a 12% illness rate.
Ukraine had the second highest overall rate of mental illness at 21%. Its 6.4% rate of substance abuse, including alcoholism, was the world's highest and the only measure to exceed U.S. mental illness figures, according to the study, published in today's issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association.
Despite evidence that one in four U.S. adults experiences mental illness at some point, researchers still consider the figure an underestimate. They acknowledge that many people remain reluctant to tell surveyors about their mental health history, mainly because of the stigma attached to mental diseases. Underestimates could be even more severe in foreign nations, where patients are unaccustomed to discussing emotional issues or even giving information to pollsters, as they were asked to do for this study.
"These numbers are absolutely staggering," says Ronald C. Kessler, PhD, a professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School in Boston, and one of the study's co-researchers. "When we get to the bottom of the situation, my guess is it is going to be doubly staggering," he tells WebMD.
Among the study's findings are an 18% rate of anxiety disorders and a 10% rate of mood disorders in the U.S. Both figures are above that of any other country, but range far beyond what is found in places such as Shanghai, which showed just a 2.4% rate of anxiety and a 1.7% rate of depression.
At the same time, the study indicates that money used to treat mental health problems in the U.S. and abroad is not being spent in the most effective way possible.
Overall, the survey of more than 60,000 adults in 14 countries showed a 27% rate of mental disorders in the U.S. population for a list of diseases. That list includes: depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and substance abuse. The U.S. rate was substantially higher than that of any other country measured, including other industrialized nations such as Belgium, which showed a 12% illness rate.
Ukraine had the second highest overall rate of mental illness at 21%. Its 6.4% rate of substance abuse, including alcoholism, was the world's highest and the only measure to exceed U.S. mental illness figures, according to the study, published in today's issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association.
High Rates Underestimated
Despite evidence that one in four U.S. adults experiences mental illness at some point, researchers still consider the figure an underestimate. They acknowledge that many people remain reluctant to tell surveyors about their mental health history, mainly because of the stigma attached to mental diseases. Underestimates could be even more severe in foreign nations, where patients are unaccustomed to discussing emotional issues or even giving information to pollsters, as they were asked to do for this study.
"These numbers are absolutely staggering," says Ronald C. Kessler, PhD, a professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School in Boston, and one of the study's co-researchers. "When we get to the bottom of the situation, my guess is it is going to be doubly staggering," he tells WebMD.
Among the study's findings are an 18% rate of anxiety disorders and a 10% rate of mood disorders in the U.S. Both figures are above that of any other country, but range far beyond what is found in places such as Shanghai, which showed just a 2.4% rate of anxiety and a 1.7% rate of depression.
