One in five American adults mentally ill in past year

One in five American adults mentally ill in past year | Reuters:

'via Blog this'

One in five adults in the United States, or nearly 50 million people, suffered mental illnesses in 2010, with women and young adults suffering disproportionately, a government report released on Thursday found.

The survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found women were more likely than men (23 percent versus 16.8 percent) to have experienced a mental illness, while the rate of mental illness among people aged 18 to 25 was twice that of those aged 50 and older.

The administration defined mental illness among adults as diagnosable mental, behavioral or emotional disorders, excluding developmental disorders and substance use.