By the Numbers - Mar. 16, 2015

By the Numbers - Mar. 16, 2015

18.5%
and
4.2%

Respectively, the "estimated 12-month prevalence of mental illness" among adults age 18+ and the "estimated 12-month prevalence of serious mental illness" among adults -- excluding substance use disorders -- according to 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health data included in a recent Congressional Research Service (CRS) report: Prevalence of Mental Illness in the United States: Data Sources and Estimates (PDF). According to the CRS:

This report briefly describes the methodology and selected findings of three large federally funded surveys that provide national prevalence estimates of diagnosable mental illness : the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R), the National Comorbidity Survey Replication Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A), a nd the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). This report presents prevalence estimates of any mental illness and serious mental illness based on each survey and ends with a brief discussion of how these prevalence estimates might inform policy discussions. 

The report covers how researchers arrive at mental health prevalence estimates, describes various survey instruments used, and discusses the pros and cons of using data derived from the various federally-funded surveys to inform federal mental health public policy decisions on allocation of resources.