If one in four American adults is affected by a mental health condition, that means someone within your immediate friends and family could be struggling with a treatable condition right now. Do you know who your “1 in 4” is? Or what signs to look for in someone who may be depressed?
Two weeks ago, we highlighted two member-created videos that help show what it’s like to live with a mental health condition. Today, on the last day of Mental Health Awareness Month (whose theme this year is “Do More for 1 in 4”), we’d like to tell you a little more about our mental health and behavior members at PatientsLikeMe.
What mental health and behavior conditions are represented at PatientsLikeMe?
The top five conditions reported by our members are:
- 7,818 total patients with Major Depression
- 7,074 total patients with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
- 4,638 total patients with Dysthymia
- 4,511 total patients with Social Anxiety Disorder
- 4,331 total patients with Panic Disorder
Other mental health and behavior conditions include ADD, Bipolar 2 Disorder, Bipolar 1 Disorder, OCD, Phobia, PTSD, Schizophrenia, Drug Addiction, Tobacco Addiction, Alcohol Addiction and Eating Disorders.
What are the top treatments?
- Our members with mental health and behavior conditions are using over 1,700 treatments, including prescription drugs, medical devices, physical therapies, etc.
- The most widely used prescription drugs reported by our mental health and behavior members are Lamotrigine (Lamictal), Quetiapine (Seroquel) and Clonazepam (Klonopin).
- The top lifestyle modification reported by our mental health and behavior members is getting more sleep, while psychiatry (medication management) is the number one procedure cited.
- The top three supplements reported by our mental health and behavior members are Omega 3 Fish Oil, Vitamin D and Multivitamins.
What are the major symptoms?
- The five most common primary symptoms reported are Anxious Mood, Delusions, Excitability, Anticipatory Anxiety and Depressed Mood.
What are mental health patients talking about?
- Some of the most popular topics “tagged” in the mental health and behavior forum, which currently has more than 25,000 members, include coping strategies and stress.
To learn more about living with a mental health condition, you can explore individual patient profiles at PatientsLikeMe to see what people are saying about their symptoms, treatments and quality of life. Get to know one of our mental health and behavior patients today.
Also, check out all four videos submitted to the PatientsLikeMe “Express Yourself” Video Contest by mental health and behavior members. Anyone can vote on their favorite videos (including non-members), so help us determine who will win the five prizes.
Hi, these are quite alarming statistics. Even with numbers like this people with mental illness are still treated very different. I’m actually putting together an article at the moment on the perceptions of mental illness in society today.