Uploaded October 2020 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Did you know that 1 in 5 people will suffer from a mental disorder, or that depression and anxiety are on the rise? Learn more with our mental health facts.
10 Important Mental Health Facts
1. Worldwide, a minimum of one person out of five will experience a mental disorder during their lifetime.
2. In terms of taking the greatest toll on a person’s life, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder are considered three of the most disruptive mental health disorders.
3. Depression is responsible for more missed work hours than arthritis or cancer in developed countries.
4. Asylums of the 18th century often prescribed ice baths, restraints, and isolation for mentally ill patients.
5. In spite of major advancements in mental healthcare, the numbers of people suffering from depression and anxiety were at an all-time high at the beginning of the 21st century.
6. Electroconvulsive therapy is still used today, with successful results for patients suffering from severe mania or extreme depression.
PhotoCredit: Copper Kettle
7. American correctional facilities make up the largest provider of mental healthcare in the nation.
8. António Egas Moniz, the psychiatrist who invented the lobotomy—surgically removing part of the brain in an attempt to reverse mental disorder—received a Nobel Prize for his work in 1949. Various petitions to retract the award have been unsuccessful.
9. Doctors and researchers developed antidepressant drugs in the 1950s, when they noticed certain tuberculosis prescriptions were improving their patients' moods.
10. The World Health Organization's list of mental health problems currently identifies 99 different types, many of which are further subdivided into varying forms of manifestation.
For more interesting mental health facts, check out our article here: factretriever.com/mental-health-facts
Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more amazing facts about everything!:
youtube.com/channel/UCZxmYOAglFN29DPr7mEaDLQ
Did you know that 1 in 5 people will suffer from a mental disorder, or that depression and anxiety are on the rise? Learn more with our mental health facts.
10 Important Mental Health Facts
1. Worldwide, a minimum of one person out of five will experience a mental disorder during their lifetime.
2. In terms of taking the greatest toll on a person’s life, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder are considered three of the most disruptive mental health disorders.
3. Depression is responsible for more missed work hours than arthritis or cancer in developed countries.
4. Asylums of the 18th century often prescribed ice baths, restraints, and isolation for mentally ill patients.
5. In spite of major advancements in mental healthcare, the numbers of people suffering from depression and anxiety were at an all-time high at the beginning of the 21st century.
6. Electroconvulsive therapy is still used today, with successful results for patients suffering from severe mania or extreme depression.
PhotoCredit: Copper Kettle
7. American correctional facilities make up the largest provider of mental healthcare in the nation.
8. António Egas Moniz, the psychiatrist who invented the lobotomy—surgically removing part of the brain in an attempt to reverse mental disorder—received a Nobel Prize for his work in 1949. Various petitions to retract the award have been unsuccessful.
9. Doctors and researchers developed antidepressant drugs in the 1950s, when they noticed certain tuberculosis prescriptions were improving their patients' moods.
10. The World Health Organization's list of mental health problems currently identifies 99 different types, many of which are further subdivided into varying forms of manifestation.
For more interesting mental health facts, check out our article here: factretriever.com/mental-health-facts
Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more amazing facts about everything!:
youtube.com/channel/UCZxmYOAglFN29DPr7mEaDLQ
