Mental Illness: With Hope Comes Healing

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month in May, we’d like to share two important messages. The first: Mental health conditions are common. About one in five adults will live with a mental health condition each year, and one in twenty will experience a serious mental illness.¹ The second: Effective therapies, including evidence-based treatments and social support systems, are available to help people heal.²

It’s as important to prioritize our mental health as much as our physical health, yet fewer than half of adults in the U.S. who have a mental illness receive treatment for it.¹ Perhaps they don’t recognize the signs and symptoms of their condition; perhaps they feel a stigma about seeking care for mental health.

With greater awareness comes hope, and with hope comes healing. Here are a few questions we’d like to address to increase awareness of mental health and to encourage people to see the hope that will lead them to seek care.

What exactly is mental health?

Emotional, psychological, and social well-being make up one’s mental health. Positive mental health allows people to cope with life’s stressors and to feel a state of general well-being.^2,3 This doesn’t mean that mental health is all or nothing, however: Even people who don’t have a mental illness can still experience challenges to their mental health, and people who have a mental health condition can still experience periods of well-being.³

Mental illness can occur in children, adolescents, and adults of all ages. In the U.S., anxiety is the most common mental illness, representing nearly twenty percent of mental health disorders, followed by major depression. Other illnesses include posttraumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.¹

Mental health affects physical health, too. People who have depression, for example, are more likely than the general population to develop diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and stroke. The opposite is true as well. People who have chronic health conditions are more likely to develop mental health conditions.³

What are the signs that it may be time to seek care for mental health?

Some common early signs of mental illness include:

• A change in sleeping patterns, either sleeping too much or too little
• Decreased interest in the activities and people that once provided enjoyment
• Feeling numb, helpless, or hopeless
• Severe mood swings
• Increased use of alcohol or drugs
• Thoughts of self-harm
• Difficulty performing routine daily activities²

If someone has experienced these symptoms for two weeks or longer, it’s time to talk to a healthcare professional about possible treatment.⁴

If you or someone who know is in crisis, help is available now. Please call or text 988 or go to 988lifeline.org to chat with a counselor.

There is help and hope.

Mental health treatments are effective. Research shows that a variety of evidence-based treatments can help people manage mental illness. Those treatments include talk therapy, medication, relaxation techniques, and support groups. Some treatment plans may combine two or more of these, and most health insurance plans cover mental health services.^5,6

Unfortunately, many people delay seeking care for mental illness. The average delay between the beginning of symptoms and the start of treatment is 11 years.¹ Being prompt and proactive are important. The earlier that someone begins treatment for a mental illness, the better they tend to do.⁵ The more active someone is in choosing their treatment plan with a care team, the more likely to improve how well they do on it as well.⁷

There is hope. Treatments for mental illness work, and there are multiple evidence-based options available. By encouraging people to seek timely care from healthcare professionals, we at Pfizer hope that more people can access care that can restore their well-being and allow them to feel better.⁵

[1] Mental Health by the Numbers. National Alliance on Mental Illness. April 2023. Last accessed May 14, 2025. https://www.nami.org/about-mental-illness/mental-health-by-the-numbers
[2] What is Mental Health? Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. April 24, 2023. Last accessed May 14, 2025. https://www.samhsa.gov/mental-health/what-is-mental-health
[3] About Mental Health. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. August 8, 2024. Accessed May 14, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/mental-health/about/index.html
[4] Caring for Your Mental Health. National Institutes of Health: National Institute of Mental Health. December 2024. Accessed May 14, 2025. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/caring-for-your-mental-health
[5] Mental Health Treatment Works. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. November 8, 2024. Accessed May 14, 2025. https://www.samhsa.gov/mental-health/serious-mental-illness/treatment-works
[6] Treatment Types for Mental Health, Drugs, and Alcohol. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. April 24, 2023. Accessed May 14, 2025. https://www.samhsa.gov/find-support/learn-about-treatment/types-of-treatment
[7] Treatments. National Alliance on Mental Illness. Accessed May 14, 2025. https://www.nami.org/about-mental-illness/treatments/