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I was taken aback by these statistics that I just read in Johns Hopkins Depression and Anxiety Health Alert: that a quarter of all adults have symptoms of at least one mental disorder each year, and nearly half of all Americans suffer from a mental disorder at some point in their lifetime.
Here is what they say:
A landmark survey of 9,282 people published in the Archives of General Psychiatry in 2005 showed that one in four adults have symptoms of at least one mental disorder each year — typically anxiety or depression — and nearly half of all Americans suffer from a mental disorder at some point during their lifetime. Fortunately, this survey also highlighted how the stigma of anxiety and depression is beginning to fade: Today, 41% of people with anxiety or depression seek treatment, compared with only 15% in the mid-1990s and 19% in the mid-1980s. The fact is that Americans are more comfortable than ever before with acknowledging anxiety and depression as real medical problems that can and should be treated — not only for mental health, but for overall health. Indeed, research strongly suggests that emotional and physical health are closely entwined.
I also wanted to emphasize the following paragraph, that states that getting treated for a mood disorder not only improved a person’s mental health, but physical health, as well:
Beyond improving mood, undergoing therapy can boost your immune system and help to relieve related symptoms such as pain, fatigue, and nausea. Still, if you’ve waited a long time to seek care, you’re not alone. In the survey, those with depression waited eight years on average, and those with generalized anxiety disorder, nine years. Older people and men tended to wait even longer to seek care, even after recognizing the symptoms.
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Therese J. Borchard writes the daily blog, Beyond Blue, on Beliefnet and is a regular contributor to the award-winning blog, World of Psychology, on Psych Central. Therese is the author of Beyond Blue: Surviving Depression & Anxiety and Making the Most of Bad Genes and The Pocket Therapist: An Emotional Survival Kit. Subscribe to Beyond Blue, visit her website, or follow her on Twitter @thereseborchard.
Meet others on the journey in
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Therese J. Borchard writes the daily blog, Beyond Blue, on Beliefnet and is a regular contributor to the award-winning blog, World of Psychology, on Psych Central. Therese is the author of Beyond Blue: Surviving Depression & Anxiety and Making the Most of Bad Genes and The Pocket Therapist: An Emotional Survival Kit. Subscribe to Beyond Blue, visit her website, or follow her on Twitter @thereseborchard.
posted April 3, 2008 at 10:46 am
I’m still shocked by 1 in 5 (patients hospitalized at some point with bipolar disorder who later commit suicide) …
posted April 3, 2008 at 9:35 pm
” I is Illness…We is Wellness.”
Thank you, TB, for encouraging the “WE.”
posted April 4, 2008 at 3:59 pm
And for those of us who were told in our youth (like back in the 1960s) that “it” was just a nervous stomach and you are just going to have to live with it….It was nice to find out back in 2001 when my son was diagnosed with generalized anxiety that I wasn’t crazy, and what I had did have a name and was able to be treated! Thanks, Therese!
posted April 7, 2008 at 8:19 am
I came across this article and just have to share…. start your day off with this :O !!!!
Is EVERYTHING a mental illness?
Folder
PEOPLE who send excessive texts and emails may have a mental illness, according to an article in a leading psychiatric journal.
As more people leave the office computer, only to log on as soon as they get home, the American Journal of Psychiatry has found addiction to text messaging and emailing could be another form of mental illness.
I kid you freakin’ not. That’s an actual finding by Dr. Jerald Block as reported by news.com.au. Here are the four symptoms to classify people into this mentally ill group:
* suffering from feelings of withdrawal when a computer cannot be accessed;
* an increased need for better equipment;
* need for more time to use it;
* experiencing the negative repercussions of their addiction.
Text_messaging Dr. Brock considers text messaging to be a part of this category because it’s a form of electronic communication. The article uses a female sales consultant as an example of someone who “suffers” from this “debilitating” illness. She explains that she’s on the computer for work all day and then comes home and simply has to browse Facebook, eBay, and other entertainment sites.
Dr Robert Kaplan, a forensic psychiatrist at the Graduate School of Medicine, University of Wollongong, said he first saw a case of internet addiction in 1998.
“I think in general it’s escalating,” Dr Kaplan said. “We now all live in an internet world, and it brings with it a range of problems.”
Someone please tell me this is an late April Fool’s joke. If not, I’ll cry golden tears if pharma companies put out medication for this.
Have a wonderful Monday!