• approximately 75 percent of all patients who visit a primary care physician have a psychological component to their initial complaint.
  

• 48 percent of all Americans between the ages of 15 and 54 will experience a psychological disorder during their lifetime.
  

• 21 percent of children aged 9-17 will receive some mental health services in a year
  

• in any one year, one in four Americans will have a mental disorder ( a serious diagnosable disorder) or a mental health problem (a less serious emotional problem ). Of those people, only 28 percent of them will seek treatment.
  

• 5-10 percent of Americans will have depression in a one year period.
  

• 15 percent of the population will use some form of mental health services during the year (8 percent for a mental disorder and 7 percent for a mental health problem).

Short term, cognitively based psychological interventions have been found to reduce depression and anxiety. The Office of Scientific Information found that 70%-90% of panic disorder patients report significant improvement after therapy. In another study, 70% of depressed patients found relief after an average of only 9 sessions. Studies of substance abusers who receive treatment have reported less absenteeism and increased income.

Psychologists help patients cope with medical problems, develop healthy behaviors, cope with stress and improve their quality of life.

• Breast cancer patients who participated in group therapy survived longer than those who did not participate in a group.
  

• Therapy for patients helps in reducing the negative effects of chronic pain.
  

• Pre-surgical counseling has been found to reduce complications and patients' medication usage.
  

• Diabetic adolescents are able to maintain better discipline of their diet and medication when they participate in therapy programs.
  
  

* Data taken from APA Practice Directorate and Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General--Executive Summary (2000)