According to a 2017 report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 14.8% of adults in the U.S. received mental health treatment. This statistic includes individuals who sought care in inpatient or outpatient settings, as well as those who used prescription medications for psychological conditions.

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A key area of study in psychopathology involves identifying the prevalence, or frequency, of different mental disorders within the general population. While rates can fluctuate based on demographic factors and diagnostic criteria, certain categories of disorders, such as anxiety and depressive disorders, are consistently found to be among the most common.

Prevalence of Psychological Disorders

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

The lifetime prevalence of a condition refers to the percentage of the population that develops that specific problem at any point during their lives. This epidemiological metric is highly valuable to researchers investigating the causes and correlates of disorders, as well as to clinicians and policymakers who must understand exactly how common these conditions are to allocate resources effectively.

Lifetime Prevalence Rate

Data from the National Comorbidity Survey reveals significant gender differences in the lifetime prevalence of certain psychological disorders. For instance, females have higher rates of major depressive disorder (20% vs. 13% for males) and post-traumatic stress disorder (10% vs. 3%). In contrast, males show markedly higher rates of substance abuse disorders, such as alcohol abuse (20% vs. 7% for females) and drug abuse (12% vs. 5%).

Gender Differences in the Prevalence of Psychological Disorders

According to 2017 data, a significant portion of the U.S. population is affected by mental illness. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found that 18.9% of adults experienced mental illness that year. The rate for teenagers aged 13–18 was reported to be similar to the adult rate, while the National Institute of Mental Health estimated that approximately 13% of children aged 8–15 experience mental illness annually.

Prevalence of Mental Illness in the U.S. by Age Group (2017)

Mental Health Treatment Rate for U.S. Adults (2017)

According to data from the National Institute of Mental Health, the percentage of U.S. adults receiving mental health treatment remained relatively stable between 2004 and 2008. For the years 2004, 2005, and 2006, the rate was consistently at or just under 13%. In 2007 and 2008, there was a slight increase, with the percentage approaching 14%.

U.S. Adult Mental Health Treatment Rates (2004–2008)

Based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), it was found that about half (50.6%) of children with diagnosed mental disorders received treatment for their condition within the last year.

Mental Health Treatment Rate for U.S. Children with Mental Disorders

A city's public health department has a limited budget to launch one new, large-scale mental health awareness campaign. To maximize their impact, they want to focus the campaign on the category of psychological disorders that affects the largest portion of the adult population. Based on established findings about the frequency of psychological disorders, which general category of disorders should the department focus on for their campaign, and why?

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