For others, assistance may be needed to overcome these emotions that seem to make life almost impossible. This belief has led people to associate seeking psychiatric treatment with admitting personal failure. Just as diabetes or cancer often runs in a family, so does mental illness. Mental illness affects 30 to 45 million Americans. Whether he or she is suffering from a simple phobia or schizophrenia, these illnesses involve certain aspects that interfere with one's ability to cope with every day life.
Mental illness knows no age, income level, race or gender.
Though statistics show that certain illnesses may have a higher percentage of men diagnosed than women or vise versa, no illness targets just one group. Many Americans do not realize that the feelings they are suffering from may need professional treatment. Research indicates that only one in five persons suffering from some type of emotional or mental disorder seek and receive the help they need. You don't have to be an adult to suffer from a mental illness, either. Millions of children in America suffer from some type of mental illness, though only between four and 15 percent receive the needed treatment.