Is there a mental health crisis in America?

 

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According to a Kaiser Family Foundation/CNN survey, 90 percent of adults in the United States believe the country is facing a mental health crisis,1 with half of people surveyed saying they always or often feel anxious and one-third of them reporting that they often or always feel depressed.2 In spite of this, more than 40 percent of adults who need substance use and/or mental health care can’t get it.3 In fact, with a growing shortage of psychiatrists and other mental health providers, the US doesn’t have enough professionals to treat everyone who is struggling with a mental health condition.4

Footnotes

1. McPhillips, D. (2022, October 5). 90% of US adults say the United States is experiencing a mental health crisis, CNN/KFF poll finds. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/05/health/cnn-kff-mental-health-poll-wellness/index.html

2. KFF (2022, October 6). New KFF/CNN Survey on Mental Health Finds Young Adults in Crisis; More than a Third Say Their Mental Health Keeps Them from Doing Normal Activities. Kaiser Family Foundation. https://bit.ly/3vmV3qk

3. National Council for Mental Wellbeing (2022). 2022 Access to Care Survey. https://www.thenationalcouncil.org/2022-access-to-care-survey/

4. Weiner, S (2022, August 9). A growing psychiatrist shortage and an enormous demand for mental health services. AAMCNews. https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/growing-psychiatrist-shortage-enormous-demand-mental-health-services