A current, citable snapshot
Mental health data can help patients, families, writers, and community partners understand the scale of need without reducing any person to a number. This page brings together the most recent national estimates available from federal health agencies.
These figures describe populations, not any one person’s experience. If you or someone else may be in immediate danger, call 911 or 988 in the United States.
Key statistics
Mental health in the United States
54.6 million
U.S. adults had any mental illness in the past year
That is 20.6% of adults age 18 and older in 2025.
Source: SAMHSA, 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health ↗18.2 million
U.S. adults had serious mental illness in the past year
That is 6.9% of adults age 18 and older in 2025.
Source: SAMHSA, 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health ↗28.6%
Young adults had any mental illness in the past year
The estimate represents 10.3 million adults ages 18 to 25 in 2025.
Source: SAMHSA, 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health ↗3.7 million
Adolescents had a major depressive episode in the past year
That is 15.1% of U.S. adolescents ages 12 to 17 in 2025.
Source: SAMHSA, 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health ↗57.3 million
U.S. adults received mental health treatment in the past year
That is 21.6% of adults age 18 and older in 2025. The measure includes treatment or counseling, prescribed medication, telehealth treatment, or certain institutional settings.
Source: SAMHSA, 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health ↗13.9 million
U.S. adults had serious thoughts of suicide in the past year
That is 5.3% of adults age 18 and older in 2025.
Source: SAMHSA, 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health ↗39.7%
High school students reported persistent sadness or hopelessness
The national estimate is from the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey and refers to the past year.
Source: CDC, Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2023 ↗49,316
People in the U.S. died by suicide
The final 2023 age-adjusted suicide rate was 14.1 deaths per 100,000 people.
Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics, final 2023 data ↗How to read these numbers
Use the right measure for the question.
National surveys
SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health is a nationally representative survey of the civilian, noninstitutionalized U.S. population. Its estimates use defined survey measures, including “any mental illness,” “serious mental illness,” and “major depressive episode.”
School-based data
The CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey measures the experiences reported by high school students. Its findings should be read as a view of surveyed students, not as a diagnosis or an estimate for every young person.
Sources and methodology
Primary sources used on this page
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, published July 2026. Used for adult, young adult, adolescent, treatment, and suicide-thought estimates.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2023 data, published 2024. Used for the high school student statistic.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, final 2023 mortality data, published 2025. Used for the suicide death count and rate.
Last reviewed: September 25, 2026. Mercyland Psychiatry will review this page when major source updates are released, with the next routine review planned for October 2026.
Cite this page
Mercyland Psychiatry. “Mental Health Statistics in the U.S. (2026).” Updated September 25, 2026. https://mercylandpsychiatry.com/mental-health-statistics/.
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