Terry Hamilton

According to Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General, mental disorders are
health conditions that are characterized by alterations in thinking, mood, or behavior (or some
combination thereof) associated with distress and/or impaired functioning. About 15% of the
U.S. adult population use some form of mental health service in any year. Having a
psychological disorder does not necessarily mean a person has a disability, yet in many cases
the condition is severe enough to be disabling. Although the specific societal impact of mental
illness varies among cultures and nations, untreated mental illness has significant costs to
society. In 2001, the World Health Organization estimated that mental health problems cost
developed nations between three and four percent of their GNP (gross national product). When
mental illness expenditures and loss of productivity are both taken into account, the World
Health Organization estimated that mental disorders cost national economies several billion
dollars annually. In 1997, a Harvard Medical School study estimated that the United States lost
more than 4 million workdays and experienced 20 million work cutback days (days of
impaired workplace performance) due to mental illness (uniteforesight.org).
Mental health and physical health are closely connected. Mental health plays a major
role in peoples ability to maintain good physical health. Mental illnesses, such as depression
and anxiety, affect peoples ability to participate in health-promoting behaviors. In turn,
problems with physical health, such as chronic diseases, can have a serious impact on mental
health and decrease a persons ability to participate in treatment and recovery. As the Federal
Government begins to implement the health reform legislation, it will give attention to
providing services for individuals with mental illness and substance use disorders, including new
opportunities for access to and coverage for treatment and prevention services.
Higher Rates of Death a direct cause of mental health impairment. Studies show that
depression is associated with higher mortality rates in all age groups. Depressions impact is
clear in the case of suicide. Suicide, a risk of untreated depression, is the 11th leading cause of
death in the U.S., accounting for 30,000 deaths each year. Over 15 percent of depressed people
take their own lives. The suicide rate is six times higher among men 85 and over than it is for
the general population