ABC 33/40 - Birmingham News, Weather, SportsMental Illness in the U.S.

There is a good chance we all know people who have had a depression or an anxiety disorder or maybe something more serious like a bipolar disorder.

 A new government report shows nearly 46 million American adults have had a mental illness in the past year.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) report reveals that almost 30 percent of people age 18 to 25 experienced a mental illness, twice as many as individuals age 50 and older which are at just over 14 percent.

The study showed more women than men suffered a mental illness in the last year. It was 23 percent vs. nearly 17 percent.

Experts say, the reasons why so many people are suffering from these problems cannot be easily summed up. However, they believe the recent economic downturn may be a factor for some folks. They add that there are genetic issues, biological issues, social issues and personal issues.

The new report defines mental illness as having a mental, behavioral or emotional problem based on criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which is the standard reference for mental illness.

According to the report, some 11.4 million adults suffered from serious mental illness in the past year, which is defined as an illness that affected a person's ability to function normally.#