Introduction
Every year, tens of thousands of people die from mental illness. This figure makes mental illness the third-leading cause of death in the United States and Canada. Mental illnesses are responsible for more than 10% of all suicides, 18% of deaths by injury, and 17% of accidental poisoning deaths.
It is true that mental illnesses affect individuals differently; some may have mild symptoms while others can have severe ones. They also vary based on both gender and ethnicity. Yet no matter what impact mental illness has on an individual's life, there is an undeniable correlation between incidences of mental health issues and high mortality rates.
What is Mental Illness?
Mental illness is a broad category that includes many different types of problems. It can include mental health conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and anxiety disorders. It also includes severe personality disorders, such as paranoid personality disorder or antisocial personality disorder.
Mental illness is not the same as having a personality disorder. A person who has a personality disorder does not have a mental illness. Mental illness describes a collection of symptoms that are usually caused by an underlying problem in brain chemistry or biochemistry.
People with mental disorders may have symptoms like those of other medical illnesses as well, but these symptoms do not necessarily occur with every episode of the disorder. People with mental illnesses may have other symptoms besides those listed below or they may have combinations of certain symptoms at different times in their lives for various reasons.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines mental disorders as "problems lasting over six months that interfere with your daily life and cause substantial distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
" WHO also states that "mental disorders are the single leading cause of disability worldwide," accounting for nearly a quarter of all years lived with disability and costing the world economy an estimated US$2 trillion.
This is particularly true in developing countries where there is a much higher risk of experiencing mental illness across all age groups. According to the WHO, there are currently over 1 billion people living with mental disorders globally. The World Health Report 2013 estimates that one-third of adults worldwide have experienced some form of mental health problem in their lifetime.
The World Health Report 2013 also states that "mental disorders are among the most common causes of ill-health and disability." Mental disorders can affect anyone regardless of gender, race, or socio-economic status.
How Many Americans Have a Mental Illness?
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) estimated in 2005 that more than 23 million Americans experience a mental illness in any given year. The number of people living with mental illness is growing faster than the general population, which means that the number of people who have a mental illness is increasing at a rapid rate.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 17.8 percent of 18-24-year-olds in the U.S. have a diagnosable mental health condition, such as depression or anxiety disorder. This number has risen from just 11 percent in 1990 when the CDC first began collecting similar data.
In 2010, an estimated 18.5 percent of all adults living in the U.S. experienced a serious psychological distress episode within the past month, according to NAMI's latest survey results from 2015.-
The World Health Organization estimated that there were about 5% to 10% of the population with a mental illness in 2007.
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has estimated that 1 in 25 adults will have a mental health disorder at some point in their lives. This is based on a combination of patient surveys and clinical reports from doctors and other mental health professionals.
However, the NIMH also estimates that 1 in 4 people experience major depression during their lifetime. A much smaller percentage – 1 in 20 – have bipolar disorder.
Types of Mental Illness: What are the Most Common Mental Disorders?
There are many different types of mental illness.
These include:
Mental disorders are a collection of symptoms that affect how you think, feel and behave; and can also influence how you react to situations or interact with others.
People with mental health problems may have difficulty concentrating, remembering things, making decisions, or controlling their emotions. They may also experience changes in their sleep patterns and eating habits, or withdraw from family and friends.
Mental health problems can affect anyone at any age but are more likely to develop during your teenage years or early twenties. There is no single cause for mental health problems.
This means that they can be caused by a combination of factors including genetics, childhood experiences, environment (including personal relationships), illness, drug use, alcohol use/abuse, and other medical conditions such as substance abuse disorder (an addiction to drugs or alcohol).
The most common mental illnesses are anxiety disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder, and depression. Some of the most common mental disorders include schizophrenia, depression, and bipolar disorder. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States. Anxiety disorders affect about 18 million American adults.
Many people who suffer from anxiety disorders do not seek treatment because they believe that the symptoms of their anxiety will go away on their own or because they feel embarrassed about having a mental illness. Anxiety disorders can be treated with medications or behavioral therapy, but some people with severe anxiety may need hospitalization.
How Many People Die From Mental Illness?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that mental illness accounts for nearly 10 percent of all deaths in the United States each year. This figure is similar to the total number of deaths caused by heart disease, cancer, and stroke combined.
In 2015, there were 1.2 million individuals in the United States who died by suicide. That same year, 20 percent of adults between the ages of 18 and 25 had a diagnosable mental illness in a given month.
Mental health problems are now being recognized as a leading cause of death in children. In fact, many people with mental illness are not receiving treatment when they need it due to the stigma surrounding the condition or because they lack access to care.
According to a study by the National Institute of Mental Health, mental illnesses are the third leading cause of disability worldwide. In the United States alone, it's estimated that more than 18 million people experience serious mental illness in any given year. This number increases to almost 7 million people who are living with schizophrenia or another severe psychotic disorder.
The main cause of death from mental illness is suicide. Other causes include alcohol abuse and drug dependence, stroke, heart disease, and car accidents.
In 2013 alone, nearly 50,000 Americans died from suicide, which was about 4,000 more than in 2012. About half of those who died by suicide had a history of substance abuse disorders or mental health problems such as depression or other mood disorders.
Natural Causes of Comorbidities Which Increases Risk of Death
There is a high degree of comorbidity between mental illness and other medical conditions.
Comorbidities are conditions that occur along with another condition. When you have one condition, you can have many different, but related conditions. Comorbidities are more common in people with mental illness than in the general population.
Comorbidities Affect the Risk of Death
Studies show that people with untreated mental illness die at a significantly higher rate than those without it. In fact, one study found that people with severe mental illness die from suicide or violence almost 4 times more often than their peers without such illnesses.
Suicide and Homicide as Causes of Death
Suicide and homicide are two of the leading causes of death in the United States.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 49,000 people died as a result of suicide in 2015.1 This represents a slight decrease from 2013 when there were 50,000 suicides.2
In 2015, there were approximately 11 homicides per 100,000 people aged 5 and older in the United States.3 This equates to about 11 deaths per day for every 100 million people living in the United States.4
Suicide is the nation's 10th leading cause of death.5 Homicide is the 15th leading cause of death overall.6
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are about 1.4 million suicides worldwide each year. Of these, about 70 percent go unnoticed or unreported by family members. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among young people aged 15 to 29 in many countries, including the United States and Canada.
Suicide is a complex phenomenon that involves biological, psychological, social, and cultural factors. It is often accompanied by other mental disorders such as major depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. The suicide rate for youth in the United States rose from 9.9 per 100,000 in 2008 to 13.0 per 100,000 in 2010—a nearly 30 percent increase in just three years.
What Are the Most Common Factors Which Cause Suicide or Homicide?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suicide is the second leading cause of death among 15-24-year-olds.
The CDC also notes that suicide is the 11th leading cause of death overall in the United States.
Suicide is one of the most preventable tragedies in our society, yet it continues to be a serious problem.
According to the CDC, there are an estimated 35,000 suicides each year in this country alone.
In 2016 alone, there were an estimated 41,149 suicides in America — an average of more than 90 deaths per day!
Mental illness is a serious problem that affects millions of people. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, mental disorders affect 41.8 million adults in America and about 1 in 5 adults will experience mental illness at some point during their lifetime. The most common mental health disorders are depression, anxiety, and substance abuse, but there are many other types of mental illnesses as well.
Mental illness can be a devastating experience for those who suffer from it, but it is important to know how many people die by suicide or homicide every year because of mental illness. Unfortunately, not much is known about the exact number of deaths caused by mental illness because there are no official statistics available on this topic.
Who is at Most Risk for Committing Suicide or Homicide?
A recent study published by the American Journal of Epidemiology looked at the rates of suicide and homicide among people with mental illnesses and found that people with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression were more likely to commit suicide or homicide than those without a mental illness.
The study was based on nearly 50 years worth of data from the National Comorbidity Survey, which included over 6,000 individuals who reported their mental health problems and whether they had ever tried to kill themselves or commit homicide.
The study found that people who committed suicide or homicide were more likely to have had a serious mental disorder in their lifetime compared to those who did not.
Suicide is the third leading cause of death for young adults ages 15-24 years old (after accidents and homicide), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC also reports that every day in the United States, someone dies by suicide. The National Alliance on Mental Illness estimates that only one in 10 people who are diagnosed with a mental illness receive proper treatment.
Conclusion
Although the exact number of deaths caused every year by mental illness is unknown, it is more than 62,000. In fact, suicide alone kills more than twice that: 95,000 deaths per year. The issue of mental health should be discussed more widely, and efforts to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental illness must be expanded. Working to increase access to mental health care, especially for those struggling with substance abuse issues, can prevent unnecessary loss of life.
The numbers paint a grim picture. In total, more than 500,000 people in the United States die each year from suicide, homicide, accidents, and other external causes. Nearly half of those deaths, or close to 250,000 each year, can be attributed to mental illnesses such as substance abuse disorders, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. If you have any questions or concerns after reading this article, we urge you to contact a professional.
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