Facts About Mental Health Facts About Mental Illness Mental illness is a devastating but treatable disease which affects one's ability to think, feel, work, communicate and live independently. Mental illness is serious and requires individualized treatment as well as supportive services. Many mental illnesses are chronic and debilitating. Others are less so. Mental illness does not discriminate on the basis of age, gender or socio-economic status.
Many mental illnesses begin during childhood or the teenage years.
In fact, recent research reveals that people over 20 have a much greater chance of developing a mental illness than previously believed. 1 in 3 families has a member who has been hospitalized for mental health treatment. 1.5 million Ohioans need mental health treatment but are unable to get it due to insufficient resources, lack of insurance coverage, uncertainty about how to get help or the public stigma surrounding mental illness.