59.3 million
U.S. adults had any mental illness in 2022.
That is 23.1% of adults age 18 and older, or nearly 1 in 4 adults.
Source: National Institute of Mental Health, 2022Reference data
U.S. Adult Mental Health Statistics
A clear, citable snapshot of adult mental health and treatment access in the United States.
Last updated September 17, 2026. The figures on this page are from 2022 national data. Each statistic identifies its source year.
At a glance
The numbers behind a need for care.
Mental health concerns are common across adulthood, yet access to care does not look the same for every age group. These figures offer useful context for reporters, educators, organizations, and anyone writing about adult mental health in the United States.
15.4 million
U.S. adults had serious mental illness in 2022.
That is 6.0% of adults age 18 and older.
Source: National Institute of Mental Health, 202236.2%
Adults ages 18 to 25 had any mental illness in 2022.
The rate was higher than among adults ages 26 to 49 (29.4%) and adults age 50 or older (13.9%).
Source: National Institute of Mental Health, 202226.4%
Adult women had any mental illness in 2022.
The comparable rate for adult men was 19.7%.
Source: National Institute of Mental Health, 202211.6%
Adults ages 18 to 25 had serious mental illness in 2022.
The rate was 7.6% for adults ages 26 to 49 and 3.0% for adults age 50 or older.
Source: National Institute of Mental Health, 202250.6%
Adults with any mental illness received mental health treatment in 2022.
This represents 30.0 million adults who received counseling, prescription medication, or both.
Source: National Institute of Mental Health, 202266.7%
Adults with serious mental illness received mental health treatment in 2022.
This represents 10.2 million adults.
Source: National Institute of Mental Health, 202249.1%
Young adults with any mental illness received treatment in 2022.
Treatment use was 50.0% for adults ages 26 to 49 and 52.7% for adults age 50 or older.
Source: National Institute of Mental Health, 2022How to read these figures
One source, stated plainly.
The National Institute of Mental Health reports these estimates from the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. “Any mental illness” and “serious mental illness” are survey-based measures used for population estimates. They are not diagnoses for an individual person.
The source uses the 12 months before the survey when reporting mental illness and mental health treatment. Treatment includes counseling or therapy, prescription medication for mental health, or both.
Cite this page
A stable reference for your work.
Suggested citation: Balderman Wellness. “U.S. Adult Mental Health Statistics.” Updated September 17, 2026. https://baldermanwellness.com/mental-health-statistics
To cite an individual figure, link directly to its heading on this page, for example: https://baldermanwellness.com/mental-health-statistics#treatment-any-mental-illness.
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