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<br /> 18 <br /> <br />Mental Health & Substance Abuse <br /> <br />Mental Health <br />Mental Health refers to a wide range of conditions that affect one’s mood, thinking and behavior. Broad <br />classes of mental illness include mood disorders (depression, bipolar disorder), anxiety disorders, <br />psychotic disorders (schizophrenia), eating disorders, personality disorders, and addictive <br />behaviors/substance abuse disorders. Many factors contribute to mental health problems, including <br />genetics, biological factors, life experiences, and brain chemistry. <br /> <br />Mental and substance abuse disorders may be caused by a combination of factors which complicates <br />efforts to understand prevention best practices. Undiagnosed and untreated conditions can have <br />serious consequences leading to disrupted daily functioning, failure in school, unemployment, disability, <br />social isolation, family conflicts, addiction, or suicide. <br /> <br /> As seen in figure 12, 12% of survey <br />respondents are unsure as to <br />where they would refer a friend or <br />family member who had a mental <br />health or substance abuse issue. <br /> <br /> Nearly 10% of all Emergency <br />Department visits in NC list mental <br />illness as a diagnosis; 31% of <br />Emergency Department visits with <br />mental illness diagnosis resulted in <br />hospital admission23. <br /> <br /> Subject matter experts express <br />that funding for mental health and substance abuse services has been cut repeatedly over the <br />years. <br /> <br /> 1 in 6 survey respondents listed mental health, including mental health issues (13%) and suicide <br />prevention (4%) as priority issues for needed for teens. <br />Suicide <br />Suicide is a serious public health problem that affects many people. In Orange County, suicide is the <br />second leading cause of death for individuals between the ages of 20 and 39 and is the fourth leading <br />cause of death for individuals between the ages of 40 and 64, with the highest prevalence being among <br />white males. <br /> <br /> Over the past 5 years on record, Orange has had an average of 17 suicide deaths per year (up from <br />13 suicide deaths per year from 2003 to 2007). Orange County’s age-adjusted 5 year suicide rate is <br />10.4 suicides per 100,000 people, a decrease from 12.2 in 2013. <br /> <br />Suicides can be prevented by recognizing signs and symptoms, learning how to help, and taking steps to <br />provide help to people in need. Risk factors for suicide include, but are not limited to: previous suicide <br />Private <br />Counselor or <br />therapist <br />52% <br />Support group <br />9% <br />School Counselor <br />1% <br />Minister/religiou <br />s official <br />3% <br />Doctor <br />23% <br />Don't Know/Not <br />Sure <br />12% <br />Figure 12: Where survey respondents would refer a <br />friend who had a mental health or substance abuse <br />issue