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Struggling with mental health challenges can make you feel isolated, frustrated, and overwhelmed. It impacts every stage of life, and affects how you think, feel, and act. This guide from USA.gov can help you learn how mental illness differs from other illnesses, recognize warning signs, and find resources to help.
USA.gov’s Guide to Mental Health Resources From the Government | USAGov
Know the Difference Between Mental Health and Mental Illness
Know the Difference Between Mental Health and Mental Illness
At times, people use the terms interchangeably. But, poor mental health and mental illness are not the same. It’s important to understand the difference.
Mental health includes your emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It also helps determine how you handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices.
Mental illness is one of the most common health conditions in the United States. It affects a person’s thinking, mood, or behavior. The most common forms include depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. These may be short-term or long-lasting and affect a person’s ability to function day-to-day.
A person can experience poor mental health and not have a mental illness. A person with a mental illness can experience periods of good social or emotional well-being.
Recognize Warning Signs
Recognize Warning Signs
When it comes to your emotions, it can be hard to know what’s normal and what’s not. Pay attention to warning signs like these that show you or a loved one may have a mental health problem:
Withdrawing from the people and activities you enjoy
Having low or no energy
Smoking, drinking, or using drugs more than usual
Having severe mood swings that cause problems in your relationships
Mental Health by the Numbers
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), text HOME to 741741, or call 911.
Data helps us see the size of the challenge and where the gaps are. Below is a snapshot of mental health in our community, our country, and the world, drawn from public sources. Every figure links back to the organization that published it.
Last reviewed: September, 2026 — Ankit Foundation Corp
Our Community: Indiana and Tippecanoe County
Indiana has made real progress — and still has ground to cover.
Indiana's overall ranking in Mental Health America's State of Mental Health in America report improved from 45th out of 50 states in 2017 to 14th in the 2025 report. Investment in 988 crisis call centers and in Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics contributed to that gain. Source: Mental Health America, State of Mental Health in America
Indiana ranks 2nd among states on Mental Health America's adult measures, and recorded the largest single-state decrease in adults with a substance use disorder — from 19.1% to 15.5% — along with the second-largest drop in overdose deaths. Source: Mental Health America, Adult Ranking
Indiana is one of only a handful of states with a statistically significant decrease in the share of young people (ages 12–17) experiencing a major depressive episode. Source: Mental Health America, Youth Ranking
Where our children stand.
Indiana ranks 25th nationally in overall child well-being in the 2026 Indiana KIDS COUNT Data Book, and 30th in the health category. More than 1.59 million children under 18 live in Indiana. Source: Indiana Youth Institute, 2026 Indiana KIDS COUNT Data Book
County-level numbers for Tippecanoe County — including youth well-being indicators — are available through IYI's county dashboard. Source: Indiana Youth Institute, Interactive County Dashboard
Local hospital community health needs assessments have repeatedly identified behavioral health as a top-priority need in our area, noting both provider shortages and long waits for care. Sources: Franciscan Health Lafayette CHNA · River Bend Hospital / North Central Health Services CHNA
For current county-level measures of adult mental distress and the ratio of residents to mental health providers, see the Tippecanoe County profile. Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps — Tippecanoe County
Our Country: The United States
Mental health conditions are common.
In 2024, 23.4% of U.S. adults — about 61.5 million people — experienced a mental illness in the past year. Of those, roughly 14.6 million lived with a serious mental illness that substantially interfered with daily life. Source: SAMHSA, 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health
About 21.4 million adults experienced a major depressive episode in 2024. Source: SAMHSA, 2024 NSDUH
Roughly 15.6% of U.S. adults report that their mental health was not good for 14 or more days in the past month. Source: America's Health Rankings, Frequent Mental Distress
Young people carry a heavy share of the burden.
Young adults ages 18–25 have the highest rate of any adult age group: 32.2% experienced a mental illness in 2024 — about 11.6 million people. Fewer than half of them received any treatment. Source: NAMI, Mental Health by the Numbers
Among youth ages 12–17, the share experiencing a major depressive episode fell to 15.4% in 2024, down from 20.8% in 2021 — the first significant improvement in more than a decade. Serious suicidal thoughts among youth also declined over the same period. Source: SAMHSA, 2024 NSDUH
Half of all lifetime mental health conditions begin by age 14, which is why early recognition and early support matter so much. Source: National Institute of Mental Health
Too many people still go without care.
About 5.5% of U.S. adults reported serious thoughts of suicide in 2024 — more than 14 million people. The national suicide rate was 14 per 100,000 in 2023. Source: Mental Health America, Adult Ranking
Nearly half of adults with a mental illness receive no treatment in a given year. Cost, insurance coverage, provider shortages and stigma remain the leading barriers. Sources: NAMI · Mental Health America
Our World: Global Data
In 2023, nearly 1 in every 7 people worldwide — about 1.2 billion — were living with a mental disorder. Anxiety and depressive disorders were the most common. Source: World Health Organization, Mental Disorders Fact Sheet
470 million people were living with an anxiety disorder in 2023, including 146 million children and adolescents. Source: World Health Organization, Mental Disorders Fact Sheet
An estimated 5.2% of adults worldwide live with depression. Women are affected at higher rates than men. Source: World Health Organization, Depressive Disorder Fact Sheet
Most people living with a mental disorder do not have access to effective care. WHO has called scaling up mental health services one of the most pressing public health challenges of our time. Source: WHO, September 2025 release on global mental health
Suicide accounts for more than 1 in every 100 deaths worldwide and is a leading cause of death among young people. Source: World Health Organization
What These Numbers Mean to Us
Behind every percentage is a family. The gap between how many people live with a mental health condition and how many actually receive care is the gap the Ankit Foundation exists to help close — through awareness, education, community resources, and advocacy for a system that reaches young people before a crisis becomes a tragedy.
You are not alone, and help is available. Call or text 988 · Text HOME to 741741 · In an emergency, call 911
About This Page
The Ankit Foundation website provides mental health awareness and community resources. The information on this page is compiled by volunteers from publicly available sources and is offered for educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not a substitute for care from a qualified professional. Figures are updated from time to time with new national and state reports.
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