Basic Facts About Mental Health

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Anyone can have a mental illness, regardless of age, gender, race, or income.
Mental illnesses are more common than cancer, diabetes, heart disease, or AIDS.
One in five adults has a diagnosable mental disorder.
One in four families will have a member with mental illness.
Mental illness can occur at any age, but most often appears for the first time between the ages of 25 and 44.
Nearly two-thirds of all people with a diagnosable mental disorder do not seek treatment.
With proper treatment, as many as 8 in 10 people suffering from a mental illness can return to normal, productive lives, and almost everyone receives some benefit from treatment.
Mental illness can - and should - be treated.

For more information, contact:
SAMHSA's National Mental Health Information Center
800-789-2647
mentalhealth.samhsa.gov
11/21/00

Resources

American Psychiatric Association
1000 Wilson Blvd., Suite 1825
Arlington, VA 22209-3901
703-907-7300
www.psych.org
American Psychological Association
750 First Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002-4242
202-336-5500 or 800-374-2721
www.apa.org
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)
(formerly the National Depressive and Manic-Depressive Association)
730 North Franklin Street, Suite 501
Chicago, IL 60610-3526
312-642-0049 or 800-826-3632
www.dbsalliance.org
National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
Colonial Place Three
2107 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 300
Arlington, VA 22201-3042
703-524-7600 or 800-950-6264
www.nami.org
National Institute of Mental Health
6001 Executive Boulevard
Room 8184, MSC 9663
Bethesda, MD 20892-9663
301-443-4513 or 800-421-4211
www.nimh.nih.gov
National Mental Health Association
2001 N. Beauregard Street - 12th Floor
Alexandria, VA 22311
703-684-7722 or 800-969-6642
www.nmha.org

These are suggested resources.
It is not meant to be a complete list.
FastFact7
11/21/00