Mental health needs affect a huge number of Americans, possibly including your neighbors, friends, and even family members. At Philhaven, we’re making great strides in south central Pennsylvania to provide greater access to services, treatment of needs, and prevention of future crises in our local community.

According to the National Institute of Health website:

• In 2008, 13.4 percent of adults in the United States received treatment for a mental health problem. This includes all adults who received care in inpatient or outpatient settings and/or used prescription medication for mental or emotional problems.
• SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) also found in 2008 that just over half (58.7 percent) of adults in the United States with a serious mental illness (SMI) received treatment for a mental health problem.
• SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) further found in 2008 that 71 percent of adults who had major depression used mental health services and treatment to help with their disorder.
• Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) show that approximately half (50.6 percent) of children with mental disorders had received treatment for their disorder within the past year. There were some differences between treatment rates depending on the category of mental disorder. Children with anxiety disorders were the least likely (32.2 percent) to have received treatment in the past year.
• The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) examines depression treatment among youth ages 12 to 17 each year through the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). NSDUH's most recent data are for 2008 and show that 37.7 percent of youth with depression received treatment for their disorder.
• Mental disorders are common in the United States, and in a given year approximately one quarter of adults are diagnosable for one or more disorders. While mental disorders are widespread in the population, the main burden of illness is concentrated among a much smaller proportion (about 6 percent, or 1 in 17) who suffer from a seriously debilitating mental illness.
• Mental disorders are common among children in the United States, and can be particularly difficult for the children themselves and their caregivers. While mental disorders are widespread, the main burden of illness is concentrated among those suffering from a seriously debilitating mental illness. Just over 1 in 5 children, either currently or at some point during their life, have had a seriously debilitating mental disorder.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) includes prevalence data for children ages 8 to 15; a slightly younger age range than the data from the NCS-A chart above. These data show that approximately 13 percent of children ages 8 to 15 had a diagnosable mental disorder within the previous year. The most common disorder among this age group is attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which affects 8.5 percent of this population. This is followed by mood disorders broadly at 3.7 percent, and major depressive disorder specifically at 2.7 percent.