Mental Health Disabilities



Research and Evaluation | Noteworthy Practices | Additional Links

According to the 2002 President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, in their report to the President, states "about 5-7 percent of adults, in a given year, have a serious mental illness, according to several nationally representative studies."

The Commission also states: "Serious mental illness" is a term used in federal regulations for any diagnosable mental disorder that affects work, home, or other areas of social functioning. The annual prevalence figures translate into millions of adults and children disabled by mental illness.

When compared with all other diseases (such as cancer and heart disease), mental illness ranks first in terms of causing disability in the United States, Canada, and Western Europe, according to a study by the World Health Organization. This study found that mental illness (including depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia) accounts for 25% of all disability…. In the US, the economy's loss of productivity from mental illness amounts to $63 billion annually."

Research and Evaluation

Noteworthy Practices

Additional Links


Last Modified: 08/14/2008