What Is The Success Rate Of Mental Health Treatment?

Mental illnesses and mental health disorders are terms that describe real medical conditions that can affect your thoughts, emotions, behavior, and perception of the world around you. And while mental disorders can be distressing for you and for your loved ones, they are treatable.

What Is The Success Rate Of Mental Health Treatment?

Success rates vary depending on the specific disorder and many other factors, but research has determined that between 70-90% of those who seek treatment for mental health problems experience a significant reduction of symptoms and improved quality of life as a result.

Common Mental Health Disorders

Serious mental health conditions that can be treated by professionals include:

• clinical depression (major depression, persistent depressive disorder, perinatal depression, seasonal affective disorder, depression with symptoms of psychosis)
• anxiety disorders (generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, phobias, agoraphobia, social anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder, selective mutism)
• schizophrenia (schizoaffective disorder, schizophreniform disorder, brief psychotic disorder, delusional disorder)
• bipolar disorder (formerly manic-depressive disorder)
• obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
• post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• personality disorders (schizotypal personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder, and others)
• attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia nervosa, and others)
• suicidal ideation

Primary Symptoms Of Mental Illness

The specific symptoms a mental disorder might cause vary from condition to condition, from person to person, and even from day to day. But, in every case, mental disorders make it harder to live a happy, productive, functional life with those you love.

In fact, in more serious forms untreated mental health conditions are one of the largest single causes of personal disability, unemployment, substance abuse, homelessness, victimization, incarceration, suicide, and poor quality of life.

Some of the most common universal symptoms of mental illness include: 

• unstable mood
• strong or persistent worrying and negative emotions
• feeling a lack of energy or passion for things in your life
• undersleeping or oversleeping
• having a negative view towards yourself, those around you, or the future

Prevalence Of Mental Illness In The United States

Mental illness can impact anyone and affects people of every age, race, religion, and background.

According to health statistics published by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, in the past year:

• around 1 in 5 U.S. Adults experienced some form of mental illness
• 1 in 20 U.S. adults experienced a severe form of mental illness resulting in significant problems for their day-to-day lives and wellbeing.
• around 8% of U.S adults experienced a substance use disorder and a co-occurring mental illness
• around 16% of American children and adolescents experienced serious emotional or mental disorders
• around 50% of lesbian, gay, or bisexual Americans experienced mental illness
• anxiety disorders were the most common mental condition, impacting 19.1% of the adult population
• less than half of affected Americans received mental health care for their condition

Treating Mental Health Disorders

Mental health professionals primarily treat patients through medication, psychotherapy, or a combination of both. Treatment services may also be offered in either an inpatient or outpatient setting, depending on the situation.

Psychotherapy

You may know psychotherapy better as talk-therapy or counseling. And, in its many forms, psychotherapy is used to help people recover from nearly every form of both mild and serious mental illnesses.

During psychotherapy, expect to have extended, open, honest, and guided conversations with a trained clinician who will help you identify negative thoughts, feelings, assumptions, patterns, and other issues in your life. 

By working through these issues, you can build healthier patterns and improve your mental health naturally as a result.

Common Forms

Some common, evidence-based forms of psychotherapy used to treat various mental disorders include:

• interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT)
• cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
• dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT)
• psychoanalytical and psychodynamic therapy
• motivational enhancement therapy
• exposure therapy
• and many others

Medication

Many mental disorders can be successfully treated either long-term or short-term using specific FDA-approved medications, including:

• prescription stimulants like amphetamine (Adderall) and methylphenidate (Ritalin) can treat ADHD by increasing dopamine activity
• antidepressants can treat depression and some forms of anxiety by boosting serotonin levels
• antipsychotics are typically prescribed for schizophrenia and work by blocking dopamine receptors

It may take time to find the right medication, dosage, or combination of medications to manage your specific condition or conditions. 

You should also be alert for any possible side-effects, medication abuse, or drug interactions. Nevertheless, medications play a central role in countless mental health treatment plans and can have an extremely positive effect on those who use them properly.

How Do You Find Treatment?

Unfortunately, many people avoid getting the care they need due to the stigma of illness, hesitance to take medication, worries over the cost of treatment or insurance coverage, or a simple lack of awareness that they have a real problem or that treatment is available and effective.

But accessing and paying for your care is easier than you might think, and can begin with something as simple as talking with your primary care provider for a referral, calling mental health professionals in your area directly, or reaching out to the national SAMHSA helpline.

You can also connect with Ohio Recovery Center today for leading mental health stabilization and inpatient treatment services for all major mental health conditions.