What A Difference A Friend Makes:
Social Acceptance Is Key to Mental Health Recovery

PDF version
You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view this file.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Center for Mental Health Services

National mental health anti-stigma campaign encourages education and support from friends.

The opportunity for recovery from mental illness is more likely in a society of acceptance. Many Americans are misinformed about mental illness and respond negatively when confronted with a friend’s mental illness. According to the 2006 HealthStyles Survey conducted by Porter Novelli, fewer than one-third of adults believe a person with mental illness can recover, and about 1 in 4 adults age 18-24 believes a person with mental illness can recover. To help improve awareness about recovery from mental illness, SAMHSA and the Ad Council have developed an anti-stigma campaign, targeted to men and women 18-24 years old, which focuses on friends as a key component of mental health recovery.

Facts Friends Need to Know About Friends with Mental Illnesses

• Mental illnesses (e.g., depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia) are more widespread than most people realize. According to SAMHSA, in 2005 there were an estimated 24.6 million adults age 18 or older who experienced serious psychological distress (SPD), which is highly correlated with serious mental illness. Almost every family in America is affected by someone with a mental illness.²
• Among 18- to 25-year-olds, the prevalence of SPD is high (18.6% for 18-25 vs. 11.3% for all adults 18+), yet this age group shows the lowest rate of help-seeking behaviors.²
• Mental illness can happen to anybody regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, age, or background.
• Nearly 1 out of 5 persons 18-24 reports having a mental illness.
• Major depression and anxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental health problems experienced by young adults, who experience most serious mental illnesses at a higher rate than the general population.
• The incidence of eating disorders among 18- to 24-year-olds was more than twice as prevalent than among all ages.
• Mental illness is treatable. There are more treatments, strategies, and community support systems available than ever before, including medication, rehabilitation, psychotherapy, group therapy, self-help, or a combination of these.
• People with mental illness can and do recover. Studies show that most people with mental illnesses get better, and many recover completely.

Table A. Self-Reported Health Conditions During the Past Year

*Note: Sample size <10
HealthStyles October 2006 Data

• Mental health recovery is a journey of healing and transformation enabling a person with a mental health problem to live a meaningful life in a community of his or her choice while striving to achieve his or her full potential.
• Those with mental health conditions in this age group have a high potential to minimize future disability if social acceptance is broadened and they receive the right support.
• One of the main reasons why people don’t seek help is because of the stigma associated with mental illness. Stigma is a big barrier to recovery.
• People with mental illnesses are good employees. Studies by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the National Alliance to the Mentally Ill (NAMI) show that there are no differences in productivity when people with mental illness are compared with other employees.
• People with a mental illness need to be treated with respect, compassion, and empathy just as anyone with any other serious but treatable condition.
• Almost two-thirds of 18- to 24-year-olds know someone with depression or alcoholism and more than 40 percent of the 18- to 24-year-olds know others with a drug addiction.

Table B. Percentage of People Who Know Others with These Illnesses

HealthStyles October 2006 Data

• Young adults are more likely than the general population to know someone with a mental illness. Targeting young adults with public education programs is likely to have a broader impact on reducing stigma and discrimination.
• Two-thirds of Americans believe that treatment and support can help people with mental illnesses lead normal lives.
• Only 1 in 5 persons surveyed feels that persons with mental illness are dangerous to others.
• Everyone can do something to help a person with mental illness…like avoiding the use of “label words,” showing kindness and respect, or helping to eliminate discrimination against housing, employment, or education.
• One of the most important factors in recovery is the understanding and acceptance of friends. Friends can make a difference by offering reassurance, companionship, and emotional strength.

Table C. Percentage of Agreement with Attitudes About Persons with a Mental Illness (weighted percentages)

*Note: Items were modified from the British Omnibus National Survey for the “Changing Minds Campaign of the Royal College of Psychiatrists,” and were used with permission; Crisp et al. 2000.
HealthStyles October 2006 Data

• The emotional and psychological aspects of mental illness make supportive friends and family even more important to a person’s recovery.
• Friends can express an interest and concern for people with a mental illness by asking questions, listening to ideas, and being responsive.
• Friends can help break down the stigma and encourage society to treat mental illness like any other healthcare condition.
• Friends can dismiss any preconceived notions about mental illness and embrace a more helpful way of relating to people.

Friends can learn more about mental illness and how to help support a friend who is living with 22005 National Survey on Drug Use & Health (NSDUH) Data, SAMHSA. a mental illness in his or her recovery process by visiting www.whatadifference.samhsa.gov.

For general information on mental illness:

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
http://www.samhsa.gov/

Center for Mental Health Services
http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/cmhs/

National Mental Health Information Center
http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/

Resource Center to Address Discrimination and Stigma
http://www.stopstigma.samhsa.gov/

Caring for Every Child’s Mental Health Campaign
http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/child/

National Institutes of Mental Health
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/HealthInformation/index.cfm

For information on helping a friend:

SAMHSA’s National Mental Health Anti-Stigma Campaign
http://www.whatadifference.samhsa.gov

What to Do When a Friend Is Depressed
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/friend.cfm

Ulifeline—an online resource center for collegiate mental health
http://www.ulifeline.org/page/main/Home.html

American Psychiatric Association: Healthy Minds. Healthy Lives—College Mental Health
http://www.healthyminds.org/collegementalhealth_new.cfm

Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children’s Mental Health—Youth Resources List
http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/pgYouthResources.shtml

To order TV, radio, and print ads to share with the media in your community:

Hartford Direct, P.O. Box 7382, Berlin, CT 06037-7382, Phone: 800-933-PSAS (7727), Fax: 860-829-2343 www.whatadifference.samhsa.gov

¹The HealthStyles Survey is conducted annually by Porter Novelli to assess attitudes and beliefs about chronic and infectious disease and behaviors, exposure to health information, health communication campaigns, and self-reported symptoms, risk factors, diseases and disorders. The survey is based on the results of three consumer mail panel surveys administered in two waves. The surveys are based on a stratified random sample of 20,000 potential respondents. Survey data were weighted to match the 2005 Current Population Survey estimates relative to age, sex, marital status, race/ethnicity, income, and region. In 2006, CDC and SAMHSA collaborated to suggest a series of questions to assess the public’s attitudes about mental illness, and the data are licensed from Porter Novelli.

²2005 National Survey on Drug Use & Health (NSDUH) Data, SAMHSA.

SMA 07-4257
3/07