More than one in five Americans (22.8%) experienced a mental illness in 2021, with 5.5% reporting a major mental ailment, according to recently released poll results.
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) of the Department of Health and Human Services, also revealed that roughly one in six (16.5 percent) Americans, or 46,300,000 people, had a substance use disorder in the previous year.
How To Help Those Struggling With Mental Illness?
Combined mental illness and drug use disorder afflicted a portion of the population. According to the SAMHSA news release, more than one in ten (18 to 25-year-olds, 15.5%) reported having both. Almost half (46 percent) of the persons in this age range had experienced one or the other.
Since 1971, this study has provided a glimpse into the nation’s mental health and substance abuse issues, and 2021 was no exception.
Xavier Becerra, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, stated in a press statement, As the data make apparent, millions of young and old Americans battled mental health and substance use issues, sometimes both at the same time, during the second year of the pandemic.
As stated in a news release, the National Safety Council provides a variety of resources on mental health and substance use, such as an Opioids at Work Employer Toolkit, Impairment Recognition and Response Training for Supervisors, Substance Use Cost Calculator for Employers, and Mental Health Cost Calculator for Employers.
Read more: You might think these are healthy foods but are actually worse than eating candies!
Local Officials Urge To Help Citizens
In addition, Mayors from throughout the United States convened in Washington this week for their annual winter meeting to discuss the most pressing issues confronting their communities, including mental health, addiction, and mass migration.
Mayors from Tampa, Florida, to Tacoma, Washington, met with government officials, including Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, to address their concerns and work on solutions.
Attendees at the nonpartisan US Conference of Mayors gathering stated on Wednesday that their lengthy to-do lists also include lowering crime, reviving local economies hampered by inflation, and ensuring that residents in psychiatric crises receive the necessary care.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fentanyl-laced narcotics are now responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans annually.
Read more: Virginia proposes million dollars for mental health system; Here’s who could apply!
