Mental Health Issues

• Mental illness is the leading cause of disability in the United States, resulting in 217 million days of work lost annually.
  
• Colorado is 34th in the country on spending on mental health ($64 per capita).
• Colorado has the 7th highest suicide rate in the nation, almost 40% higher than national average.
• 90% of people who die as a result of suicide have a diagnosable mental disorder.
• There was an estimated 90,000 emergency room visits for mental health in 2005 and a cost of approximately $90 million.
  
• 47% of Colorado's 16,203 homeless population ave a serious mental illness or chronic substance abuse issue.
• The Department of Corrections has become the single largest provider of mental health services.
• Over 40% of youth in juvenile justice system have a mental health issue.
• One in four people have a diagnosable mental condition, 6% of people have a "severe" mental health disorder.
• Mental illness is more than 15% of the "disease burden", making it more than cancer.
  

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