Next month New York City is preparing to roll-out ThriveNYC, a new mental health initiative that Mayor Bill de Blasio says will help to prevent and treat mental health disorders among the city’s 8.4 million residents.
According to a report released earlier this month by the city’s Department of Mental Hygiene, at least one in five adults in NYC suffer from depression, substance abuse, suicidal thoughts or other psychological disorders. This report says that nearly 20 percent of New Yorker’s suffer each year with a mental health disorder and that, “at any given time over half a million adult New Yorkers are estimated to have depression, yet less than 40% report receiving care for it.”
The official website of the City of New York lists these sobering statistics from the report:
- At least one in five adult New Yorkers is likely to experience a mental health disorder in any given year.
- 8% of NYC public high school students report attempting suicide.
Consequences of substance misuse are among the leading causes of premature death in every neighborhood in New York City. Each year, 1,800 deaths and upwards of 70,000 emergency room visits among adults aged 18 to 64 can be attributed to alcohol use. - 73,000 New York City public high school students report feeling sad or hopeless each month.
- Approximately 8% of adult New Yorkers experience symptoms of depression each year.
- Major depressive disorder is the single greatest source of disability in NYC. At any given time over half a million adult New Yorkers are estimated to have depression, yet less than 40% report receiving care for it.
- There are $14 billion in estimated annual productivity losses in New York City tied to depression and substance misuse.
Unintentional drug overdose deaths outnumber both homicide and motor vehicle fatalities. - The stigma of mental illness has been found to have serious negative effects on hope and an individual’s sense of self-esteem. Stigma also increases the severity of psychiatric symptoms and decreases treatment adherence.
Kudos to the Mayor and his team for recognizing this problem and doing something about it. Providing services is not going to be so easy in a city the size of New York City. With funding cutbacks to mental health agencies, reorganization and mergers of major hospitals, a shortage of beds and practitioners, and a lack of substance abuse preventative and rehab programs mental health officials face quite a conundrum. Other challenges include overcoming the stigma of mental illness, cultural issues, “income inequality,” and homelessness. I will be watching closely as this program rolls-out. I applaud the Mayor for tackling this!
Links:
Reuters
The New York Daily News
Crain’s New York Business
DISCLAIMER
Information contained in this blog is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended as medical or psychiatric advice for individual conditions or treatment and does not substitute for a medical or psychiatric examination. A psychiatrist must make a determination about any treatment or prescription. Dr. Paul does not assume any responsibility or risk for the use of any information contained within this blog.