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Well Being Trust | Annual Report | At the Crossroads 5 The United States is experiencing a mental health and well-being crisis. Rates of anxiety, depression, suicide, addiction and substance misuse are at all-time highs. Related economic, sociocultural and environmental conditions in our communities are robbing many of their dreams and shortening lives. Adverse experiences and toxic stress are becoming ever more pervasive. The human suffering is enormous. The U.S. now spends over $400 billion annually on mental health, including of the cost of care and the loss of productivity to our economy and society, making it the costliest preventable medical condition in the country—costlier than diabetes, respiratory disorders and cancer combined. 2 Yet, despite this spending, many people struggling with mental health and addiction do not get the help they need. In truth, our nation is failing the very people who need help the most. In 2016, more than 44 million Americans experienced a mental health issue, and 19 million experienced a substance use disorder—with 8 million experiencing both. 3 Over the last 10 years, more than 1 million lives were lost to drugs, alcohol or suicide. Each of these numbers has a name, each name belongs to a family and each family is part of their community. These "deaths of despair" could double over the next decade— if we do nothing. 4 While many organizations and individuals across the nation are working to address this crisis, most efforts have been disjointed and largely focused on treating symptoms or illnesses as single occurrences rather than as a complex set of factors that determine a person's well-being across a lifetime. All physical, social and spiritual factors must be addressed simultaneously and in a coordinated fashion in order to promote deep AT THE CROSSROADS OF CRISIS AND OPPORTUNITY —A PATH FORWARD OUR MISSION To advance the mental, social and spiritual health of the nation. OUR VISION Human flourishing across the lifespan, in healthy, equitable communities that create opportunity for everyone to realize their fullest potential. Neuropsychiatric disorders are now the leading cause of disability in the United States, accounting for 18.7 percent of all years of life lost to disability and premature mortality. 1

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