1646: Ronald C. Kessler
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): Medium (Personal)
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2026/02/19
“Nobody would be shocked if we found that 99.9 percent of the U.S. population had had a physical illness.”
“We can treat mental disorders as successfully as diabetes or asthma.”
“We can do a good job, but we don’t do a good job.”
“The typical person with a mental illness takes a decade before getting treatment.”
“Everyone is so concerned about the costs of treating mental disorders. But how about the costs of not treating them?”
“Prevention is much less developed in mental disorders than in other areas of medicine.”
“In psychiatry and psychology it is like we are practising 1950s cardiology, where you wait for a heart attack.”
“No one would be shocked if we learned that 99% of people had a physical illness during their life…”
“…we’ve all had the common cold form of mental illness at some point.”
“Half of all lifetime cases start by age 14 years and three fourths by age 24 years.”
“About half of Americans will meet the criteria for a DSM-IV disorder sometime in their life, with first onset usually in childhood or adolescence.”
“Interventions aimed at prevention or early treatment need to focus on youth.”
“Roughly half of all lifetime mental disorders in most studies start by the mid-teens and three quarters by the mid-20s.”
“These surveys consistently show that one-fourth of adults in developed countries experience significant mental health problems each year.”
“The vast majority of people with mental disorders can be treated effectively with existing therapies.”
“Therapeutic success usually requires trial-and-error.”
“We have to do a better job of selecting optimal first line treatments. Lives depend on it.”
“Only about half of people who received treatment met diagnostic criteria for a disorder.”
“Despite increased treatment, most mental disorders remain untreated.”
Last updated May 3, 2025. These terms govern all In-Sight Publishing content—past, present, and future—and supersede any prior notices. In-Sight Publishing by Scott Douglas Jacobsen is licensed under a Creative Commons BY‑NC‑ND 4.0; © In-Sight Publishing by Scott Douglas Jacobsen 2012–Present. All trademarks, performances, databases & branding are owned by their rights holders; no use without permission. Unauthorized copying, modification, framing or public communication is prohibited. External links are not endorsed. Cookies & tracking require consent, and data processing complies with PIPEDA & GDPR; no data from children < 13 (COPPA). Content meets WCAG 2.1 AA under the Accessible Canada Act & is preserved in open archival formats with backups. Excerpts & links require full credit & hyperlink; limited quoting under fair-dealing & fair-use. All content is informational; no liability for errors or omissions: Feedback welcome, and verified errors corrected promptly. For permissions or DMCA notices, email: scott.jacobsen2025@gmail.com. Site use is governed by BC laws; content is “as‑is,” liability limited, users indemnify us; moral, performers’ & database sui generis rights reserved.
In-Sight Publishing 