Anna Davidson

Health Education/Public Health Major

Victims of Mental Illness

What?
Mental illnesses are disorders that affect your mood, thinking and
behavior. A victim of mental illness can have any type of diagnosis “In 2019, there were an estimated 51.5
ranging from minimal to severe. Mental illness can impact a small million adults aged 18 or older in the United
portion or all of someone’s life. The consequences can range from States with any mental illness. This number
emotional discomfort to even death. represented 20.6% of all U.S. adults.”
(NIMH)
Who?
1/5 adults live with a mental illness.
1/25 adults live with a severe mental illness.
 The highest rate of severe mental illness is found in the age group of 18–26-year
“In 2018 for example,
old’s
23% of men and 26% of
 50% of severe mental health issues begin before the age of 14
women living in the
 75% starts before the age of 24
most deprived
 70.5% of Serious Mental Health issues are in females
(impoverished) areas
 Individuals who have experienced trauma, poverty, or discrimination are at higher
of Scotland reported
risk
levels of mental
distress indicative of a  Suicide is the 10th leading cause of
possible psychiatric death in the U.S.
disorder, compared  The overall suicide rate in the U.S.
with 12 and 16% of has increased by 35% since 1999
men and women living
in the least deprived  46% of people who die by suicide
areas.” (NIH) had a diagnosed mental health
condition (National Alliance on
Mental Health)
How?
Mental health issues have many causes. Some are biological but many are environmental and social. The multi-
level nature of mental health issues means that many of these issues are created by many different factors.
Those who experience poverty, isolation, trauma, or biological differences are more at risk for mental health
issues. The social, physical, and environmental determinants of health influence the occurrence of mental health
issues and should be taken into consideration for each unique case.

Some determinants of health are:

 Availability to meet daily needs, access to educational, economic, and job opportunities, access to health care
services, quality of education and career, availability of community and resources, opportunities for recreational
and leisure-time, public safety, social support, social norms, exposure to crime, violence, and social disorder,
socioeconomic conditions, residential segregation, language/literacy, access to media and technologies, culture
and family.
Examples of physical determinants include:
Natural environment, Built environment, Worksites, schools, and recreational settings, Housing and community
design, Exposure to toxic substances and other physical hazards, Physical barriers, especially for people with
disabilities
Wang et al. (2005) reported that
“approximately 60% of individuals with a
mental disorder do not receive treatment and
of those who do, only 32% of the treatments
received fell into the ‘at least minimally
Vulnerabilities adequate treatment’ category.” (NCBI)
Individuals with mental illness are at high risk for stigma, suicide, violence, and social stressors. They are
especially at risk of not receiving treatment. Individuals with mental health issues are at risk for compound
issues and comorbid illnesses. Some compound risks are psychiatric while others are physiological.
 People with depression have a 40% higher risk of developing cardiovascular and metabolic diseases than
the general population. People with severe mental illnesses are nearly twice as likely to develop these
conditions. (National Alliance on Mental Illness)
 32.1% of U.S. adults with mental illness also experienced a substance use disorder in 2020 (17 million
individuals) (National Alliance on Mental Illness)
 High school students with significant symptoms of depression are more than twice as likely to drop out
compared to their peers.
 Stigma is a fundamental cause of health inequality

Priority health problems in this group

According to the World Health Organization the priority mental health conditions are depression,
schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders including suicide, epilepsy, dementia, substance use, and mental
illness in children. There are other health problems that this population may struggle with - Many individuals
experiencing mental illness do not seek treatment. Because of this, they are at risk for other illness, dropping out
of school, and experiencing poverty. All these impacts are risk factors for other issues which is why reducing
stigma and increasing access to resources/treatments is key for reducing the occurrence and impact of mental
illness.
 “44.8% of US adults aged 18 or older with Any Mental Illness received mental health services in the
previous 12 months.” (Mental Health Foundation)
 “65.5% of US adults with Serious Mental Illness received mental health services in the previous 12
months” (Mental Health Foundation.)
 Reducing exposure to risk factors and improving access to all resources
especially mental health services are crucial for reducing vulnerability for those
experiencing mental illness.
Actions that can be taken to reduce vulnerability for this population…
 Create living environments conducive for “A consistent pattern of symptom change
health and happiness during psychological treatment has typically
 Reduce poverty and its consequences shown a rapid improvement between
 Improve health care equitability sessions two and four which levels out as
 Increase access to psychological services the number of treatment sessions” (NCBI.
Trajectories of depression and anxiety
symptom change during psychological
therapy)

Interventions
Provider level- cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, psychiatric
prescription, exposure therapy, group therapy
Preventative level- taking steps to reduce violence and trauma, creating safer neighborhoods,
mindfulness and meditation classes, fair wages for all workers, equal healthcare access, and equal
education access
Resource Center | SAMHSA Psychotherapy | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness

Interventions and resources in our community

http://www.mentalhealthaccesspoint.org/ https://www.talberthouse.org/#
https://www.recoverycenterhc.org/resources https://www.mentalhealth.gov/talk/community-
conversation/services https://mindpeacecincinnati.com

Sources
Mental Health By the Numbers | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness

Mental Health Statistics 2021 - Mental Health Foundation

Harvey, A. G., & Gumport, N. B. (2015). Evidence-based psychological treatments for mental disorders: modifiable
barriers to access and possible solutions. Behaviour research and therapy, 68, 1–12.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2015.02.004

Saunders, R., Buckman, J., Cape, J., Fearon, P., Leibowitz, J., & Pilling, S. (2019). Trajectories of depression and anxiety
symptom change during psychological therapy. Journal of affective disorders, 249, 327–335.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2019.02.043. Trajectories of depression and anxiety symptom change during psychological
therapy (nih.gov)

Knifton, L., & Inglis, G. (2020). Poverty and mental health: policy, practice and research implications. BJPsych
bulletin, 44(5), 193–196. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjb.2020.78