About Mental Illness

One out of five people in America has a mental illness (more than two million Ohioans), yet less than one-third of affected adults and one-half of children receive treatment.  Mental illnesses are biologically based brain disorders. They cannot be overcome through willpower and are not related to a person’s character or intelligence. They are medical conditions that disrupt a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, daily functioning, and ability to relate to others.  People affected can be of any age, race, religion or income.

When mental health services are not available to those in need, the impact is felt in all areas of Ohio’s economy and society:

• Missed education opportunities & failure in school
• Lost productivity & unemployment
  
• Increased crime and jail time
• Inappropriate use of hospital emergency departments
• Premature death, including suicide

Without treatment, the results of mental illness for the individual and society are staggering; unnecessary disability, unemployment, substance abuse, homelessness, wrongful imprisonment and wasted lives.  The economic cost is more than $100 billion each year in the United States.

The good news is that recovery is possible.  Early identification and treatment is very important.  Most people diagnosed with a serious mental illness can get relief from their symptoms by actively participating in an individual treatment plan.  Society stands to gain from making the same commitment to mental health treatment that it makes to other medical conditions. Recovery and resiliency enable adults and children with serious mental illness to recover and live, work, and participate fully in their communities.