A new World Health Organization study reveals that the rates of mental illness are higher in the United States than in any other country. According to the study, one-quarter of Americans suffer from some type of mental illness at some time in their lives.

Some mental health and sociology experts believe that the real number is actually much higher. Others believe that the U.S. numbers are so high because Americans are more likely to be truthful in a survey about mental health. A look at some of the other countries' numbers would seem to confirm this theory. There is still a stigma attached to mental illness in America, but probably not near as great a stigma as in many other cultures.

But even given the high probability that many people from other nations were not truthful in discussing their conditions, 27% is still a very large portion of the population. There are numerous possible reasons for the surge in mental illness in America:

1. America is a very violent country, with an overwhelming amount of child abuse. Children who are physically or sexually abused are likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, substance abuse and personality disorders later in life. People who live in violent neighborhoods suffer constant stress, making them vulnerable to mental illness.

2. Thousands of children are emotionally neglected or abused in this country. These are the victims of parents who have absolutely no clue about how to properly raise children, and who pass on to their children the terrible treatment they received from their own parents. Parental anger, narcissism and envy are not uncommon.

3. The American culture is one that produces anxiety. There is a lot of pressure for people to conform to specific gender, economic and social roles. Those who do not conform to these arbitrary roles may be ostracized or suffer socially and economically. Educated, professional people often have to deal with a so-called work ethic that demands that they adopt unhealthy lifestyles in order to survive.

4. There is a lot of poverty in America, and poverty produces chronic stress, as well as ineffective coping mechanisms, such as substance abuse.

5. The large number of unchecked toxins in the nation's food, water and air supplies are just as likely to affect mental health as physical health.

6. There is a growing movement toward unhealthy religious practice in the United States. Such practice discourages thinking and individualism, and scapegoats various segment of society, such as women and gays.