Policy Press
11 Access to Mental Health Care during and after COVID-19
Abstract
The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that nearly one in five adults in the United States have a mental illness. One in six youth (ages 6–17) have a mental illness. Mental illnesses are left untreated for many people including youth because of the cost and the availability of appropriate services. Data suggest that less than half of adults (43%) with mental illness received mental health services in the past year. This percentage is slightly lower for young adults (18–25 years old), who are less likely to receive mental health services compared to other adults. For youth, access to treatment is more nuanced than for adults because youth often access services in school or through parents/caregivers who agree to take them to community-based or private practice settings. Other disparities exist, with women and girls more likely to receive mental health services than men and boys, and Whites more likely to receive services than other racial or ethnic groups. Further data from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that nearly 17 million adults and 3 million adolescents had a major depressive episode in the last year with nearly a third of the adults feeling worried, nervous, or anxious on a regular basis. These data along with the public attention on suicide rates among youth and the growing numbers of college-aged students inundating student counseling centers across the nation illustrate the extent of the mental health crisis pre-COVID-19.
Abstract
The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that nearly one in five adults in the United States have a mental illness. One in six youth (ages 6–17) have a mental illness. Mental illnesses are left untreated for many people including youth because of the cost and the availability of appropriate services. Data suggest that less than half of adults (43%) with mental illness received mental health services in the past year. This percentage is slightly lower for young adults (18–25 years old), who are less likely to receive mental health services compared to other adults. For youth, access to treatment is more nuanced than for adults because youth often access services in school or through parents/caregivers who agree to take them to community-based or private practice settings. Other disparities exist, with women and girls more likely to receive mental health services than men and boys, and Whites more likely to receive services than other racial or ethnic groups. Further data from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that nearly 17 million adults and 3 million adolescents had a major depressive episode in the last year with nearly a third of the adults feeling worried, nervous, or anxious on a regular basis. These data along with the public attention on suicide rates among youth and the growing numbers of college-aged students inundating student counseling centers across the nation illustrate the extent of the mental health crisis pre-COVID-19.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- Acknowledgments v
- Presidential Welcome vii
- Editorial Introduction xi
-
Victims and Justice
- Creating Safer Environments for Survivors 2
- The Incarceration State in the Age of COVID-19 13
- Incarceration during COVID-19 25
-
Employment Dilemmas
- Essential Work and Unemployment in the United States 36
- The US African-American Population Experienced a COVID-19 Double Disadvantage: Unemployment and Illness 49
- Residential Crowding among Meat Processing Workers 59
-
Precarious Populations
- Experiencing Homelessness in the Time of COVID-19 70
- The LGBT Medical and Political Crisis in the Wake of COVID-19 81
- Inequality in Isolation 91
-
Health and Well-Being
- Birth in the US amid COVID-19 102
- Access to Mental Health Care during and after COVID-19 113
- Vaccine Opposition in the COVID-19 Age 122
- The Social Problems of COVID-19 134
- Afterword 143
- Index 151
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- Acknowledgments v
- Presidential Welcome vii
- Editorial Introduction xi
-
Victims and Justice
- Creating Safer Environments for Survivors 2
- The Incarceration State in the Age of COVID-19 13
- Incarceration during COVID-19 25
-
Employment Dilemmas
- Essential Work and Unemployment in the United States 36
- The US African-American Population Experienced a COVID-19 Double Disadvantage: Unemployment and Illness 49
- Residential Crowding among Meat Processing Workers 59
-
Precarious Populations
- Experiencing Homelessness in the Time of COVID-19 70
- The LGBT Medical and Political Crisis in the Wake of COVID-19 81
- Inequality in Isolation 91
-
Health and Well-Being
- Birth in the US amid COVID-19 102
- Access to Mental Health Care during and after COVID-19 113
- Vaccine Opposition in the COVID-19 Age 122
- The Social Problems of COVID-19 134
- Afterword 143
- Index 151
