| Prevalence of Mental Illness Among Adults |
estimated 76,000 adults (18+) suffer from mental illness |
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- Accessibility to mental health services is blocked by physical barriers
such as transportation and physical disability, language and cultural barriers, such
as transportation and physical disability, language and cultural barriers, and financial
barriers (such as too few places accepting Medi-Cal and no sliding fee for people
without insurance).
- San Mateo County Health Services expect to increase mental health
outreach to children and youth and to older adults. Teens are special need of crisis
counseling and prevention services (particularly high risk teens), to prevent pregnancy
and to receive emotional support. In need of outreach are the 2,000 children of
ex-offenders who need self-esteem support, not to mention that ex-offenders themselves, of
which there are some 1,000 men and women, need reentry planning in counseling.
- Other populations needing counseling services are: abused children;
abused elders; the deaf; elderly ethnic minorities; families in martial strife; single
parents; and veterans, especially minority veterans. Abused children and elders need
protective services that respond quickly. In this state, two out of three families
reported for child abuse receive no service and no service system exists for generally
neglected children. The deaf need service expansion since in this county there are
only two professional mental health service providers experienced in giving service to
hearing impaired people.
- Nationally, 32.3% of Americans had one or more serious mental disease
during their lifetime.
- At any one moment, major mental disorders afflict almost 15% of the
nations population.
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