ference for mental illness. The report excluded developmental and substance use disorders.
According to the report, some 11.4 million adults suffered from serious mental illness in the past year, which is defined as an illness that affected a person's ability to function normally.
Mental illness doesn't just affect people, but also takes an economic toll -- about $300 billion in 2002, the researchers said.
Mental illness also accounts for more disability in developed countries than any other illness, including cancer and heart disease, according to the World Health Organization.
Highlights of the report include:
- About 39 percent of those with a mental illness received mental health services.
- Nearly 61 percent of those with severe mental illness received services.
- 8.7 million Americans had suicidal thoughts in the last year.
- 2.5 million made plans to kill themselves.
- 1.1 million attempted suicide.
- People who abuse drugs or alcohol had higher rates of mental illness than others (20 percent vs. about 6 percent).
- One-fourth of those with serious mental illness were substance abusers.
- 1.9 million 12- to 17-year-olds had a major depression in the past year.
- Teens suffering depression were twice as likely to have a drug problem than teens who did not have a major depression (roughly 37 percent vs. 18 percent).
Dr. Ihsan Salloum, director of the Addiction Psychiatry and Psychiatric Comorbidity Programs at the University of Miami School of Medicine, said not only is the number of people with mental problems staggering, but so is the unmet need for care.
"There is a gap between the need and how many people reach treatment," he said. "Mental illness is a treatable problem, and the outcome is as good as any chronic medical problem."
Given the number of people with drug and alcohol problems who also have mental problems, those with a substance abuse pr
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