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What is Mental & Behavioral Health and the Current State of the Nation 

Mental and behavioral health refers to the field of healthcare that focuses on the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental health disorders and behavioral issues. It encompasses a wide range of conditions that affect a person's thoughts, emotions, behavior, and overall well-being.

Mental health encompasses conditions such as depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), eating disorders, and various phobias. These conditions can significantly impact a person's mood, thinking patterns, and daily functioning.

Behavioral health relates to behaviors that can influence overall health and well-being. It involves the study and treatment of behavioral patterns, habits, and actions that may contribute to physical and mental health issues. This can include addictive behaviors like substance abuse or gambling addiction, as well as other behavioral issues such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and conduct disorders.

State of Mental Health in the US: 

  • 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year
  • 1 in 20 U.S. adults experience serious mental illness each year
  • 1 in 6 U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year
  • 50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% by age 24
  • Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people aged 10-14
  • In 2021, 1 in 5 Americans experienced a mental health challenge 
  • 46.3 million Americans ages 12 and older experienced a substance-use disorder in the last year

ACF and Behavioral Health. Administration for Children & Families. (n.d.). https://www.acf.hhs.gov/behavioral-health​Mental health by the numbers. NAMI. (n.d.).

Mental health by the numbers. NAMI. (n.d.). https://nami.org/mhstats?gad=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwjMiiBhA4EiwAZe6jQ2GctiVjPikEMNNG5MkpJDQpgOcj3rSmJK-0Acjp1w0ObWI4aIFfIxoCzvMQAvD_BwE

Loneliness

state of distress or discomfort resulting from one’s perceived gap in desire for social connection and the actual experience of it
Study shows brains who score higher in loneliness react varyingly different to each other and non-lonely individuals. Sugessting:
  • Each lonely person is lonely in their own neural response way
    Including blunt brain responses in su cortical regions linked to reward systems, potentially impacting the way they find value in situations and experiences
  • 2020 research from McGill University indicates lonely people showed difference in default network, area responsible for memories, social cognition, and imagination
  • Default networks wired more strongly and increased of grey matter tissue relative to less lonely people
  • brains of less lonely people respond similar to one another’s
  • lonely individuals pay process the world differently than their peers 
  • Their processing and perception of the world may exacerbate or trigger their loneliness as one is predominately surrounded but others who view/understand the world differently than oneself
Mental healthcare in the US: > $225B
Mental health is a $1.5T ​wellness market