Access to Mental Health Care
Approximately 1 in 5 adults (18 and older) experience a mental disorder in a given year in the United States. However, only 41% of those individuals with a mental illness use services in any given year.
There are likely a variety of reasons for this:
Stigma
Although mental illness is much more out in the open these days, there is still a tremendous amount of stigma affiliated with mental illness and this might prevent an individual from seeking help.
Insurance
While many adults in the United States have medical insurance, some policies do not cover mental health services. Sometimes they do cover mental health services, but a limited number of sessions. Other times, they cover mental health services, but the copay is too high for the person to afford it.
Geographical Access
There are individuals living in parts of the United States where there are very limited psychological services or none at all within a reasonable distance.
Physical Access
There are individuals in need of psychological services but they do not own a vehicle and/or cannot afford transportation.
Fear
Many people fear that, if they do seek mental health services, someone will find out and they will lose their jobs or it might affect their ability to be promoted.
Where does sadness become depression? Where does shyness become autism? — where you need help. Why wait for mental health care to be a bandage instead of being preventative? Mental health care doesn’t need to start when a problem exists or is uncontrollable. You don’t need a diagnosed mental disorder to begin taking care of your mental health. If there is something more going on, ask for help and find what works. Diagnoses drive treatments, insurance, and intervention but they shouldn’t be rushed. While medicines can save your life, they may not make a better life—for that you need support, you need talk therapy. Emerging adults experience significant mental health challenges and many of them attend colleges all over the United States. Universities have a particular obligation to provide proper care for their students who are struggling with mental health issues. However, access to mental health care isn’t as easy as it should be. Even when it is available, there seems to be a huge divide in the quality of services. That is, some universities have large counseling centers and hire highly qualified therapists while others hire less than adequate therapists. Other counseling centers are quite small and, even toward the beginning of the semester, students are put on a waitlist, regardless of the severity of their issues. For some individuals, campus mental health centers and their resources are negative experiences and difficult to access. The imperative thing to remember is Don’t. Give. Up. Be patient, do your research, and find what works for YOU. The research and the statistics are out there. The rates of anxiety and depression among emerging adults is daunting. Approximately 22% and 10%, respectively. If the very institutions they are investing in for their education and future careers cannot be relied on to support them, where are they supposed to turn?But mental health services aren’t as unreachable as it may seem—you just have to know where to look. Resources:
Healthline
Breaks down into many sections, starting with , "when do you know you need help" to "types of providers", "finding therapy", "inpatient and hospital care" and so on to include international resources.
Psychology Today
Everything from a national directory of therapists, psychiatrists, and other mental health professionals, to great articles to read on cutting-edge topics, to a vast "help" center.
PsychCentral
This is a great resource for articles on current topics in mental health along with links to information on specific disorders.
UCSF Psychiatry
Mental Health Topics and Resources for Patients and Families provided by the University of California, San Francisco Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.
Social Work License Map
Has 60 Digital resources for mental health categorized by specific populations (LGBTQ+, minorities, women, etc.), organizations, and mental disorders for everything you can imagine and more.
National Institute of Mental Health
Includes resources for immediate help lines, advice and resources for finding a health care provider or treatment, information on mental disorders, etc.
Mental Health First Aid
Has a vast array of resources for mental health including information on disorders, support groups, help lines, etc.
How to Make Therapy WORK
Deciding to seek therapy can be a big decision. Going to just anyone is not a good idea. Do your research – finding what and who works for you can be a challenge.
*Additional mental disorder-specific informative and help-line resources can be found on the associated mental disorder page.
Examining the Effectiveness of Campus Counseling for College Students with Disabilities: Read now
“Approximately 60% of people in the U.S. that need mental health care don’t get it. Let’s break down the barriers to care. It’s not easy and can be hard to find someone even if you want care. Universities need to help because emerging adulthood is the time when mental disorders develop.”
— Dr. Richard Grinker, Author of Nobody’s Normal
Nobody’s Normal
by Roy Richard Grinker
In Nobody’s Normal, anthropologist Roy Richard Grinker chronicles the progress and setbacks in the struggle against mental-illness stigma—from the eighteenth century, through America’s major wars, and into today’s high-tech economy. Nobody’s Normal argues that stigma is a social process that can be explained through cultural history, a process that began the moment we defined mental illness, that we learn from within our communities, and that we ultimately have the power to change…