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General Mental Illness

Brain and behavior disorders are common in the United States and internationally. An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older – about 1 in 4 adults – suffer from one or more of these disorders in a given year. Brain and behavior disorders are common among children in the United States and are increasingly being recognized and diagnosed at an early age. Just over 20 percent (or 1 in 5) children live with a debilitating mental illness.
Out of the 10 leading causes of disability identified and tracked in the United States and other developed countries; four are brain and behavior disorders: major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
It is estimated that:
- 18% of American adults will suffer from an anxiety disorder each year
- 10% of Americans adults will suffer from depression each year
- 4% of American adults will suffer from attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) each year
- 4% of American adults will suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder each year
- 3% of American adults will suffer from bipolar disorder each year
- 1% of American adults will suffer from schizophrenia each year
- 1% of American adults will suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) each year
- 1 in every 88 8-year-old children are diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder

(*Source: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the Center for Disease Control)
Legendary news anchor and award-winning journalist, Mike Wallace passed away on April 7, 2012 at the age of 93. As the pioneer of the hugely popular, "60 Minutes" TV news show, Wallace was best known for his unique...
A research team from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine led by 2005 NARSAD Independent Investigator, Mary Phillips, M.D. used a novel technique to predict future mental illness in teens at risk for mental...
A groundbreaking twenty-five year study shows that there is a correlation between the thinning of the cortex and the development of depression. The cortex is the part of the brain responsible for higher thinking and...
In 2008, Scientific Council Members Mary-Claire King, Ph.D. from the University of Washington—widely known for her discovery of a mutation in a gene she named BRCA1 that led to powerful breast cancer diagnostics—and...
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