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Mental health disorders today are
appropriately called "brain disorders." Typical
disorders such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia
and even borderline personality disorder are medical disorders
of the brain. Links to genetics are being found in addition to
environmental factors.
These kinds of disorders are still widely
misunderstood by most of society and as a result, many people
with mental health disorders continue to be stigmatized.
"Mental disorders are common in the United States and internationally. An estimated 22.1 percent of Americans ages 18 and older�about 1 in 5 adults�suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given
year. When applied to the 1998 U.S. Census residential population estimate, this figure translates to 44.3 million people.
In addition, 4 of the 10 leading causes of disability in the U.S. and other developed countries are mental disorders-major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Many people suffer from more than one mental disorder at a given time."
NIMH
"Individuals with co-occurring disorders (about 3 percent of the population in 1 year) are more likely to experience a chronic course and to utilize services than are those with either type of disorder alone. Clinicians, program developers, and policy makers need to be aware of these high rates of comorbidity�about 15 percent of those with a mental disorder in 1 year (Regier et al., 1993a; Kessler et al., 1996)."
Report of the Surgeon General
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