---
title: "Psych News Alert: Psychiatric Disabilities in U.S. Show Steep Rise"
description: About 2.7 percent of Americans aged 18 to 64 reported some level of disability due to depression, anxiety, or emotional problems in the peri...
image: https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/HealthSurvey_12134236-Jun-24-2025-04-45-29-8519-PM.jpg
---

 9/28/11 12:00 AM

# Psychiatric Disabilities in U.S. Show Steep Rise

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [ Psychiatric News Alert ](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert)

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[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/HealthSurvey_12134236-Jun-24-2025-04-45-28-8383-PM.jpg?width=200&height=142&name=HealthSurvey_12134236-Jun-24-2025-04-45-28-8383-PM.jpg)](https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/HealthSurvey_12134236-Jun-24-2025-04-45-27-9710-PM.jpg) 

About 2.7 percent of Americans aged 18 to 64 reported some level of disability due to depression, anxiety, or emotional problems in the period 2007-2009, according to a new study in the *American Journal of Public Health.*

That represents an increase from 2.0 percent 10 years earlier even as the prevalence of disability attributed to other chronic conditions decreased, wrote Ramin Mojtabai, M.D., Ph.D., an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The increase in the prevalence of psychiatric disability occurred mainly among two groups: adults with disabilities caused by other chronic conditions and adults with a greater level of psychological distress who had not had any contacts with mental health professionals during the prior year.

To read more about issues concerning psychiatric disability, see *Psychiatric News at* [http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/content/46/16/10.1.full](http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/content/46/16/10.1.full).

(Image: Ed Phillips/Shutterstock.com)

[disability](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/disability), [global mental health](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/global-mental-health), [epidemiology](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/epidemiology), [Nationa Health Interview Survey](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/nationa-health-interview-survey), [psychiatric disability](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/psychiatric-disability)

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[long-acting injectable](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/long-acting-injectable), [first-episode psychosis](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/first-episode-psychosis), [American Journal of Psychiatry](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/american-journal-of-psychiatry), [antipsychotics](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/antipsychotics), [Sweden](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/sweden), [oral antipsychotics](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/oral-antipsychotics)

## [Antipsychotics Found to Lower Risk of Work Disability Following First-Episode Psychosis](https://alert.psychnews.org/2022/10/antipsychotics-found-to-lower-risk-of.html)

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 10/7/22 12:00 AM

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[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/teen_therapist_iStock-1455705071-4.jpg?height=200&name=teen_therapist_iStock-1455705071-4.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2024/02/many-individuals-at-ultra-high-risk-of.html)

[psychosis risk](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/psychosis-risk), [ultra high risk](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/ultra-high-risk), [young adults](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/young-adults), [mental disorders](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/mental-disorders)

## [Many Individuals at Ultra-High Risk of Psychosis Also Have Persistent Non-Psychotic Symptoms](https://alert.psychnews.org/2024/02/many-individuals-at-ultra-high-risk-of.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

 2/21/24 12:00 AM

[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2024/02/many-individuals-at-ultra-high-risk-of.html)

[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/IceHockey_75776917-Jun-24-2025-06-14-56-3585-PM.jpg?height=200&name=IceHockey_75776917-Jun-24-2025-06-14-56-3585-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/03/effects-of-head-injuries-persist-in.html)

[TBI](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/tbi), [concussion](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/concussion), [psychiatric disability](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/psychiatric-disability)

## [Effects of Head Injuries Persist in Teens](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/03/effects-of-head-injuries-persist-in.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

 3/1/12 12:00 AM

[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/03/effects-of-head-injuries-persist-in.html)

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