Mental Health and Mental Disorders Workgroup

Mental disorders are among the most common causes of disability, and the resulting disease burden is among the highest of all diseases. The proportion of U.S. adults estimated to have a mental disorder rose from 17.7 percent in 2008 to 19.1 percent, or 47.6 million people, in 2018.¹ Similarly, the proportion of adults suffering from seriously impairing mental disorders has risen significantly, from 3.7 percent in 2008 to an estimated 4.6 percent, or 11.4 million people, in 2018.¹ However, in 2018 fewer than half of adults with any mental illness received mental health services in the past year.¹ Of the 4.6 million adults ages 18 to 25 years in 2018 with a past-year major depressive episode, about 2.3 million, or 49.6 percent, received treatment for depression in the past year.¹ Moreover, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States,² accounting for the deaths of 48,344 Americans in 2018.³  

Mental health and physical health are closely connected. Mental health plays a major role in a person’s ability to maintain good physical health. Mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety, affect a person’s ability to participate in health-promoting behaviors. In turn, problems with physical health, such as chronic diseases, can have a serious impact on mental health and decrease a person’s ability to participate in mental health treatment and recovery. 

Core objectives selected by the MHMD Workgroup aim to increase the proportion of primary care visits where adolescents and adults are screened for depression, increase the proportion of people who need treatment for mental disorders that receive appropriate treatment, and reduce the suicide rate and suicide attempts by adolescents.  

Developmental and research objectives highlight high-priority public health issues that lack data or evidence. The MHMD Workgroup selected a developmental objective that focuses on increasing the number of children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbance who receive treatment, and a research objective that focuses on increasing the proportion of homeless adults with mental health problems who receive mental health services. 

MHMD objectives and targets align with several federal strategies and priorities, including those set out by agencies such as NIMH, SAMHSA, CDC, and AHRQ. All Healthy People 2030 core objectives meet several criteria — for example, they have baseline data, a direct impact on health, and an evidence base.