"Mental disorders are common in the United States and internationally. An estimated 22.1 percent of Americans ages 18 and older—about 1 in 5 adults—suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year.
When applied to the 1998 U.S. Census residential population estimate, this figure translates to 44.3 million people.
In addition, 4 of the 10 leading causes of disability in the U.S. and other developed countries are mental disorders-major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Many people suffer from more than one mental disorder at a given time."
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/numbers.cfm
I'm not trying to be flamey or anything, and while i'm not offended, or upset with any one poster, I find myself bugged in general by this thread. I'm not sure why, maybe it's because I'm feeling stigmatized because i'm a member of this mentally ill group that's being discussed in a way that makes me feel labeled, like people could be defined by their disorders and not who they are? i don't know.