Wyoming assessment of rehabilitation needs

Table 13: Types of Disability by Sex, Ages 16 – 20 years, in 2000 Civilian Non-institutionalized Population Source: 2003 WYARN, and Census 2000 Summary File 3
Group	Male	Female	Total
Total population	19,772	18,761	38,533
No disability	17,353	16,830	34,183
“Any” disability	2,419	1,931	4,350
With one type of disability; Sensory disability	260	90	350
With one type of disability; Physical disability	97	116	213
With one type of disability; Mental disability	563	340	903
16 to 20 years; With one type of disability; Self-care disability	0	24	24
16 to 20 years; With one type of disability; Go-outside-home disability	125	112	237
16 to 20 years; With one type of disability; Employment disability	719	581	1,300
16 to 20 years; With two or more types of disability	655	668	1,323

Population of Special Concern: People with Severe and Persistent Mental Illness
Unfortunately, a solid data source is not available for estimating the number of people with a severe and persistent mental illness in Wyoming. The 2000 census counted 25,884 individuals with some kind of mental disability, but the census data are not specific as to type of disability (Table 14).
The Census data are also not consistent with nationwide estimates developed by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (see “A summary of statistics describing the prevalence of mental disorders in America. National Institute of Mental Health, 2001. NIH Publication No. 01-4584”). According to NIMH, four of the ten leading causes of disability in the U.S. and other developed countries are mental disorders: major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (Table 14). Schizophrenia is a leading type of mental illness. NIMH notes that:

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  Approximately 2.2 million American adults, or about 1.1 percent of the population age 18 and older in a given year, have schizophrenia;
  
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  Schizophrenia affects men and women with equal frequency; and schizophrenia often first appears earlier in men, usually in their late teens or early twenties, than in women, who are generally affected in their twenties or early thirties.
  
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  NIMH estimates that 22.1 percent of Americans ages 18 and older (about 1 in 5 adults) suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. When applied to the Wyoming adult population, this percentage translates to 80,645 people.
  

Table 14: Estimate of Number of Adults with Selected Disabilities in Wyoming
Population	Data Source	2000
Total State Population	U.S. Census	493,744
Adult Population (18+)	U.S. Census	364,909
Mental Illness: Number of adults experiencing some form of mental illness in a given year	NIMH estimate (22.1% of adult population)	80,645
Schizophrenia	NIMH estimate (1.1% of Adult population)	4,013