Mental Health
Mental health disorders are the leading cause of disability in the United States and Canada, accounting for 25 percent of all years of life lost to disability and premature mortality. In a given year, an estimated 13 million American adults (approximately 1 in 17) have a seriously debilitating mental illness. Moreover, suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for the deaths of approximately 30,000 Americans each year. Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, eating disorders, autism, and other mental health disorders are serious, often life-threatening, illnesses for which we need reliable diagnostic tests, new treatments, and effective strategies for prevention.

ARRA funding is helping NIH meet a wide variety of scientific opportunities in mental health research—opportunities that were scarcely imagined 10 years ago and build on new understanding of human behavior and the ways in which medicines can be used to treat illnesses; fundamental insights into how the brain works; and advanced methods for studying the interaction between the brain, behavior, and the environment. Many of the ARRA investments in mental health research focus on neuroscience, genetics, specific diseases such as schizophrenia, consequences of impaired mental health such as suicide, and mental health services.

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