FACTBOX-Facts about mental illness in the United States

Legislation pending in the U.S. Congress would require health plans to cover mental health the same way they cover other medical problems. Here are some facts on the legislation and prevalence of mental illness and substance abuse:

-- The legislation would provide mental health parity for about 113 million Americans who work for employers with 50 or more employees, according to a chief sponsor of the Senate version, New Mexico Republican Pete Domenici.

-- The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health estimates that slightly more than one in four Americans aged 18 and older suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year -- nearly 58 million people.

-- About 6 percent, or one in 17 people, aged 18 and above have a serious mental illness, the NIMH estimates.

-- Mental disorders are the leading cause of disability in the United States and Canada for people ages 15 to 44.

-- Mental disorders rank among the top 10 illnesses causing disability worldwide, with depression being the leading cause of disability among people ages 15 and older, according to the Global Burden of Disease and Risk Factors published in 2006.

(Compiled by Joanne Kenen in Washington)