Mental illness or substance abuse will affect almost one in three Americans at some point during their lifetimes, according to a federal survey of mental health in the United States.
The survey, released Wednesday by the National Institute of Mental Health, found that more than 15 percent of those interviewed in five U.S. cities experienced a mental or substance use problem during the month prior to the study.It also found that mental and emotional disorders were most common among the younger age groups, and that men were more likely than women to have substance use and antisocial behavior problems.
Women, the survey showed, had higher rates for affective disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and disorders of somatization, or mental states that are reflected by physical symptoms.