Shining a Light on Mental Health This May

Cause Spotlights

May 19

Date: May 19, 2025

Banner and ribbon for Mental Health Awareness Month: May

May is Mental Health Awareness Month — a time to recognize the importance of mental well-being and to elevate conversations that reduce stigma, promote access, and advance equity in mental health care.

At Data Maven, we recognize that mental health is deeply intertwined with social, economic, and environmental factors. Data can help us understand who is most affected, which interventions are effective, and where systems need to be changed. Whether analyzing behavioral health trends, evaluating access to care, or visualizing disparities across communities, we believe in using data as a tool for empathy, accountability, and action.

According to 2023 survey data, 58.7 million adults in the United States have at least one mental illness.¹ Of those, 25% — 14.6 million people — reported having a serious mental illness that interfered with or limited major life activities. The prevalence of serious mental illness is higher among:

Younger adults ages 18-25 (10.3% of the U.S. population age 18 and older) compared with those age 50 and older (2.4%).
Multiracial adults (14.0%) compared with white (6.1%), Hispanic (5.5%), Black (3.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (3.3%), and Asian adults (2.9%).

More than 49,000 people in the U.S. died by suicide in 2023.² The suicide rate was higher among:

Males (23.6 per 100,000 population) compared with females (6.1).³
Older adults age 85 and older (22.6), followed by those ages 75-84 (19.4) and those ages 35-44 (19.2), compared with younger people ages 5-14 (1.2) and 15-24 (13.5).⁴
Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native (23.7) and non-Hispanic white (19.0) people compared with non-Hispanic Asian (6.8) and Hispanic (8.1) people.⁵

This month, we honor the individuals and organizations working tirelessly to support mental health. Let’s continue using data to make mental health care more responsive, equitable, and visible — every month, this May and beyond.

If you or someone you know struggles with mental health or suicidal thoughts, help and resources are available.

FindTreatment.gov is an anonymous resource to help people find treatment for mental health and substance use disorders.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline offers free emotional support to people experiencing emotional distress or suicidal crisis 24/7. They offer services via phone call, text, online chat, and video options for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.

References

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States: Results from the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Office of Population Surveys, July 2024. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/2023-nsduh-annual-national-report.
“Suicides in the United States, 2023.” Multiple Cause of Death Files, 2018-2023, Single Race via CDC WONDER Online Database. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Accessed May 12, 2025. http://wonder.cdc.gov/controller/saved/D157/D435F434.
“Suicide Rates in the United States by Sex, 2023.” Multiple Cause of Death Files, 2018-2023, Single Race via CDC WONDER Online Database. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Accessed May 12, 2025. http://wonder.cdc.gov/controller/saved/D157/D436F197.
“Suicide Rates in the United States by Age Group, 2023.” Multiple Cause of Death Files, 2018-2023, Single Race via CDC WONDER Online Database. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Accessed May 12, 2025. https://wonder.cdc.gov/controller/saved/D157/D436F198.
“Suicide Rates in the United States by Race and Ethnicity, 2023.” Multiple Cause of Death Files, 2018-2023, Single Race via CDC WONDER Online Database. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Accessed May 12, 2025. http://wonder.cdc.gov/controller/saved/D157/D436F200.