20% of Americans Mentally Ill

For the Daily Downers' reader who happens to be sick in the head, it must must be comforting to know that your condition is extremely common. The Captain hopes this news puts a little sunshine into the hearts of nutcases everywhere.

About one in five adults in the United States suffered from a mental disorder during the past year, according to results of a national survey released today (Nov. 18).

Nearly 5 percent of those adults suffered from a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, that substantially disrupted their daily life, according to the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

The finding highlights the need for a shift in attitude toward mental illness, because it affects such a wide swath of people, said Peter Delany, director of the Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality at SAMHSA.

"When you think about it, how many people work in your office? Someone has to be experiencing problems," Delany told MyHealthNewsDaily.

"Someone"? Try some many.

[My Health News Daily]