Mental illness touches nearly every life in some capacity. More than 10% of the world's population is personally affected by a mental disorder at any given moment in time, and some estimates indicate that more than a third of us will have a diagnosable mental disorder at some point in our lives. Yet, mental illnesses impact more than just those with the disorder; they also exact a heavy toll on family, friends, colleagues, and caregivers, as well as society at large. In fact, five of the top ten most debilitating and costly diseases in the world are mental disorders. As such, mental illnesses pose an enormous and unique public health problem; to effectively combat this problem everyone needs to know the basics.

Mental Illness: What Everyone Needs to Know® reflects the massive efforts being made by scientists and clinicians to better understand and treat mental disorders. In turn, more of this new knowledge must get into the hands of consumers of mental-health services and the public at large. This book bridges this gap by distilling the deep and intimate knowledge held by mental health researchers and professionals into easily digestible facts for the lay audience.