Why Participate

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According to a recent survey of National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH) there are an estimated 11.2 million adults aged 18 or older in the United States with a Serious Mental Illness (SMI) in 2017. This represented 4.5% of all US adults. (1)

An SMI is defined as a mental, behavioral or emotional disorder resulting in serious functional impairment that substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activity. The burden of these illnesses is particularly concentrated among those who experience disability and thus are the focus of our needs assessment as we feel it is this population that can most benefit from our program.

The highest prevalence of SMI in 2017 was among young adults ages 18-25 years old, accounting for 7.5% of their population. This represents about 1 in every 13 young adults in the United States.  However, only 57.4% of this population of young adults affected by SMI receive mental health treatment.(1) This means that over 1 million young adults in the USA that are affected by a serious mental illness go without treatment. 

• 7.7 million children aged 6-17 years were diagnosed with a mental health disorder in 2018. Only 49.4% of these children received treatment in 2016. 3 Why ? Lack of finances or lack of acceptance that the illness needs treatment ?  

• The average delay between onset of mental illness symptoms and treatment is 11 years. (2) Why ? Denial of illness, lack of resources to identify the illness and even less to treat it. 

• Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people aged 10-34 years old. (2)Why would a 10-year-old even consider suicide ?

• The overall suicide rate in the US has increased by 31% since 2001. (2)

• 90% of people who die by suicide had shown symptoms of a mental health condition (while only 46% actually diagnosed)(2)

• 70.4% of youth in the juvenile justice system have a diagnosed mental illness. (2)

• 60% of US counties do not have a single practicing psychiatrist. (2) 

• People with SMI are TWICE as likely to develop cardiovascular and metabolic diseases than the general population.(2)Why ? Many with SMI are unable mentally or financially to care for their needs, much less healthy nutrition and lifestyle. This, coupled with the medication to control their disease, promotes greater risk of health issue

• Those without a support system and unable to work, often find themselves homeless at one time or another, if not permanently. Harvard Medical School estimates 1/4 to 1/3 of all homeless individuals have a serious mental illness and "the proportion is growing" (4) Often, those that go without treatment, intervention or family / community support will be admitted again into a mental illness facility, usually at the cost of the state. On average 22.4% of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia are readmitted to a facility within 30 days of being released.(3)  Many individuals with SMI are hospitalized numerous times within a few years due to irregularity of treatment, lack of medication or home support and encouragement.

These statistics mean that we are failing an entire generation.  While there have been improvements in school and community awareness over the last few years about detecting and diagnosing serious mental illness, there is little done after the diagnosis. Treatment is proposed and suggested, but it is still voluntary. Many young adults diagnosed with severe mental illness are faced with symptoms that cause difficulty in acceptance of their disease. Then there are the unwanted side-effects of the medications. Not to mention the cost of the medication (up to $1000 a month) that requires a lengthy process of acceptance into the public Medicaid and Medicare program that so many do not take the time to enroll or maintain their benefits.