Most People Will Have a Mental Health Condition in their Lifetime

Posted on July 27, 2017

Research published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology suggests that around 80% of people will experience an identifiable mental health issue, like depression. This is usually temporary for most people, the study found.
According to the researchers, Aaron Reuben and Jonathan Schaefer, this means that mental health problems could be more prevalent compared to physical health problems. They explained that the study shows a higher chance of experiencing mental illness than the likelihood of getting diabetes, heart disease and cancer combined.

The study was conducted with participants from a small town in New Zealand from birth to middle age. Symptoms of mental health issues were checked every few years, including impaired functioning at work or relationships and severe distress. Only 17 percent of participants had not experienced, at least briefly, a mental disorder, by middle age. This number may be even smaller as participants may have had symptoms between assessments, which was not picked up during assessment periods.

Despite this large number of people who will go through a mental health issue, most do not seek treatment. This could be dangerous, or even fatal – many deaths by suicide can be traced back to untreated mental illness, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

This study provides more evidence that mental illness is just as important as a physical problem. Mental health issues can also be out of the person’s control, for example through biological and environmental factors. However, the stigma surrounding mental illness often stops people from seeking treatment.


Category(s):Mental Health Professions

Source material from HuffPost