Fact Sheet: Consumer Survey on Mental Health

This national survey of 1,005 American adults ages 18 and older was conducted for the American Psychiatric Association on March 17-21, 2006, by Knowledge Networks. The sample is based on a methodology designed to produce a representative sample of the U.S. adult population.

The survey asked questions in four general areas:

• How much do Americans know about mental illness
  
   
• What misconceptions do they hold
   
• How is the stigma of mental illness changing
  
   
• Do people have confidence in mental health treatment
   
•  What factors influence their confidence levels

Significant findings include:

• 87% said a medical degree is important to diagnose and treat mental illness
   
• 66% said that positive media portrayals of people with mental illnesses would help overcome stigma
   
• 44% knew 'a little' or 'almost nothing at all' about mental illness
   
• 33% thought that emotional or personal weakness was the primary cause of mental illness
   
• 29% though old age was a contributing cause
   
• 24% believed that mental illness can be overcome by emotional or personal strength
   
• 29% said they would not seek treatment from a mental health professional because they believed it would not help