A new national report reveals that 45.9 million American adults aged 18 or older, or 20 percent of this age group, experienced mental illness in 2010.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health also showed that 11.4 million adults (5 percent of the adult population) suffered from serious mental illness, defined as one that resulted in serious functional impairment that substantially interfered with or limited one or more major life activities. The report also noted that an estimated 8.7 million American adults had serious thoughts
of suicide, of whom 2.5 million made suicide plans and 1.1 million attempted suicide. Complete
survey findings are available on the SAMHSA Web site
here.
SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health is released annually, and data are then released in separate reports throughout the year. For instance, in October state-level data from the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health were released. For reporting on those data, see Psychiatric News
here.
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