How The U.S. Compares To Other Countries When It Comes To Mental Health

The U.S. has the highest healthcare spending among developed countries, according to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, but is one of the most depressed countries in the world, according to U.S. News and World Report.

About 1 in 5 Americans experience some type of mental illness and the suicide rate increased 33 percent from 1999 to 2017.

So how does the U.S. compare to other countries when it comes to mental health? The data is very telling.

Stress
According to Forbes, the U.S. is among the top 10 most stressed countries in the world, ranking seventh after countries like Greece and Iran.

Depression
The United States is the most depressed country in the world, according to age-standardised disability-adjusted life year (DALY) rates of unipolar depressive disorders by country.

Anxiety
According to U.S. News and World Report, the U.S. has the third highest rate of anxiety, following China and India.

Alcohol and Drug Use
U.S. News and World Report also reports that the U.S. has the second highest rate of alcohol and drug use.

Bipolar Disorder
MD Edge reports that the United States had the highest prevalence of bipolar disorder (4.4%) and annual (2.8%) disease, while India had the lowest (0.1% for both).