May is Mental Health Month

The National Mental Health Association has named May Mental Health Month.  A U.S. Surgeon General report states that between 28 and 30% of the U.S. population has a mental health disorder, substance abuse disorder, or both.  This year the focus is on the body-mind connection.  The following statistics are provided courtesy of the National Mental Health Association.

The Mind/Body Connection

• Stress is linked to the six leading causes of death:  heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver and suicide.
• Seventy-five percent of visits to doctors' offices concern stress-related ailments.
• Chronic stress can cause premature aging.
• People who have heart disease and depression are up to twice as likely to die within two years of being diagnosed with heart disease than people who only have heart disease.
• Nearly 4% of females will have anorexia at some point during their lifetime.
• Nearly 15% of college students have been diagnosed with depression.

Untreated Illness

• Only about 21% of children in the U.S. who need mental health services actually receive them.
• An estimated 2.5 million Americans have bipolar disorder.  The actual number may be 2-3 times higher because as many as 80% of people with this illness go undiagnosed.
• Older men are far less likely to seek and receive treatment for depression than older women.
• After accidents and homicide, suicide is the third leading cause of death among people under 24 years old.
• About 4.1% of school-age children have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

What You Can Do About It

• Seek help if you are concerned. Concern is a sign of awareness, not weakness, and the essential first step to finding relief through effective treatment.
• Listen to your children.  Children whose parents talk with them every day make better decisions and choose healthier activities.  Early diagnosis and treatment of mental health problems allow children to reach their full potential.
• Depression and hopelessness are NOT a normal part of growing older;  this is a dangerous myth.  By caring for your mental health and getting help when you need it, you can grow and enjoy life at every age.
• Regular physical exercise helps reduce stress, depression and anxiety, and enables people to better cope with adversity.  People with major depression and anxiety are 60% less likely to relapse if they exercise regularly - and continue exercising over time - than if they take medication alone.
• The treatment success rate is over 80% for depression, 70-90% for panic disorder, and 60% for schizophrenia.  Seek help now.
• Do you care about the cost of insurance premiums?  Treatment of panic disorder decreases healthcare utilization and costs by 94%.
• The total healthcare costs for workers who receive treatment for depression and have complete remission of symptoms are 2/3 less than the medical costs of untreated individuals.

Recovery IS possible with proper treatment and support.