Many of those people whose need for care exceeds such limited insurance benefits frequently are transferred to state-run facilities. Less than one-third of the children under 18 with a serious emotional disturbance receive mental health services. For physical healthcare, the comparable figure was 14 percent. Out of 50 states, only 2 - Maryland and Minnesota, have passed parity legislation stating that private insurance companies cannot discriminate on healthcare benefits. A majority of the 29,000 Americans who commit suicide each year are believed to have a mental disorder.
Mental illnesses impose a multibillion dollar burden on the economy each year.
Direct treatment and support costs comprise 45.3 percent of the total economic costs of mental disorders. The value of reduced or lost productivity comprise 42.7 percent of the total economic costs of mental disorders.