| A growing recognition of the fact that "mental health | | | | treatable conditions that interfere with a person's |
| is fundamental to a person's overall health, | | | | overall well-being and ability to do many of the things |
| indispensable to personal well-being and instrumental | | | | that they would otherwise enjoy. A suffer of clinical |
| to leading a balanced and productive life" likely | | | | depression can no more "snap out of it," than a |
| contributes to the fact that about 15% of our | | | | person suffering from a seizure has the will-power to |
| country's population now use some form of mental | | | | stop taking a seizure. |
| health services in any given year. Nonetheless, | | | | Mental illnesses range from clinical anxiety and |
| despite effective treatments, according to Dr. | | | | depression to Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia. |
| Satcher's 1999 Surgeon General's Mental Health | | | | Anxiety disorders, the most common form of mental |
| report, "Nearly half of all Americans who have a | | | | illness, affect more than 10% of Americans yearly. |
| severe mental illness fail to seek treatment". The fact | | | | Almost 25% of Americans will suffer an anxiety |
| that nearly one in five Americans are affected by a | | | | disorder at some point in their lives. Every May, |
| mental disorder, reinforces the understanding that | | | | thousands of sites throughout the country offer |
| "few Americans are untouched by mental illness", | | | | free, local anxiety screenings, as part of National |
| whether directly or indirectly. | | | | Anxiety Disorders Screening Day. |
| Clinical anxiety and clinical depression are real, | | | | |