Get the facts about mental health
Mental illness affects millions of New Yorkers.
Yet for too long we have ignored mental health as a serious health issue. Mental health is complex, it can be confusing, and it can be poorly understood. This has led us to treat mental health as less important than physical health. And for too many, this has meant going without needed care.
This video explains more about what mental illness is:
Mental health treatment works.
Getting connected to care can help people live healthy and productive lives. Here are just some promising findings:
- Older adults who receive home-based treatment and services for depression experience significantly reduced depression symptoms and improved overall health.
- Homeless mothers who receive screening for depression while in shelter are more likely to receive care, experience a reduction in their symptoms, and attend more visits with their primary care doctor and case managers.
- Among people with schizophrenia who receive treatment, approximately 50% show improvement in symptoms.
- Individuals with an untreated mood disorder, diagnosis of schizophrenia, or substance use disorder are respectively 2.37 times, 2.39 times, and 2.92 times more likely to experience homelessness. Receiving support from a treatment team has been shown to reduce homelessness among this population by 37%.
- Because of stigma and discrimination, LGBTQ youth are more likely than non-LGBTQ youth to struggle with their mental health, and LGBTQ adults are more likely than others to have mental health or substance use problems. However, access to affirming, sexuality-specific support at home and school has been shown to build long-term positive mental health.
