According to a report by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) there is a high rate of prevalence of mental disorders in the United States. According to the 2002 data, over 25% adults aged 18 and older had at least one mental disorder and approximately 5% had three or more disorders. The four most widespread disorders were anxiety disorders, mood disorders, impulse disorders and substance disorders. Approximately 5% of adults had a serious mental illness (SMI) with approximately 6% diagnosed with a major depressive disorder and about 3% with generalized anxiety disorders. Mental disorders are the dominant cause of disability, absenteeism and lost of productivity in the work arena. The cost of treatment of mental disorders in the US is estimated to have reached $100 billion in 2003.

There are various estimates and figures that indicate that the rate of mental disorders in the US is accelerating by the day. It is however, difficult to determine how many affected persons seek help for their illness as a great deal of individuals refrain from getting screened or treated for their illness.

Why do people seek intervention?

People who receive psychotherapy or psychiatric care vary widely in their problems and their motivations to solve them. Perhaps, the most obvious candidates for psychological treatment are individuals experiencing sudden and highly stressful situations such as a divorce or unemployment, people who feel overwhelmed by the crisis conditions in which they find themselves that they cannot manage on their own. These people typically feel quite vulnerable and tend to be open to psychological treatment because hey are motivated to later their present intolerable states.

Some people take help from psychological therapy somewhat as a surprise to themselves. Perhaps they had consulted a physician for their headache or stomach pain, only to be told that there is nothing physically wrong with them. Such individuals, referred to a therapist, mat at first resist the idea that their physical symptoms are emotionally based, especially if the referring physician has been brusque or unclear as to the rationale for his/her judgment.

A substantial number of angry parents bring their children to therapists with demands that their child’s uncontrollable behavior, viewed as independent of the family context be fixed.