One in five adults in America report that they cannot get the help they need for their mental illness, largely, because there just aren’t enough providers for the number of people seeking help, according to Mental Health America, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting mental health care access across the nation and addressing the needs of people living with mental illness.
One of the top reasons for the gap, according to the nonprofit, is that there are not enough professionals offering treatment. Other reasons 20 percent of Americans cannot get mental health care services include lack of money, lack of insurance and an unavailability of treatment types.
The American Psychological Association collects and analyzes information as part of their Center for Workforce Studies.
“Fifteen percent of the U.S. population will use some type of mental health service within a year. Are there enough psychologists to meet that demand? That’s a very good question and, unfortunately, we don’t have an answer at the moment,” said Karen Stamm, director of the APA Center for Workforce Studies.
“There’s just straight up a shortage of providers, especially child psychiatrists. There just aren’t enough to meet demand,”
There are 100,000 psychologists across the nation, but they’re concentrated in counties on the East and West coasts, and southern Florida. Thirty-three percent of counties across the country have no records of licensed psychologists, according to a 2015 analysis by the CWS.
Psychologists are just one link in the chain of mental health care providers that include counselors, clinicians, therapists, social workers, peer specialists, pastoral counselors and psychiatrists.
“There’s just straight up a shortage of providers, especially child psychiatrists. There just aren’t enough to meet demand,” said Kelly Davis, of Mental Health America in Alexandria, Virginia.
Davis said traditional counselors aren’t the only source of help for the community. Group therapy, peer support and online therapy courses are good alternatives, he said.
“Whether that’s through group settings, whether that’s through peer specialists or technology, that’s just what we’re going to have to do,” Davis said.
“A lot of my friends, their parents don’t believe in mental illness. they don’t believe that their kids need help. I don’t know if they’re in denial. They chose to bad-mouth it or ignore it so their kids don’t feel comfortable coming to them and saying that they need help,” Martin said.
Tylor Martin of Omaha, Nebraska, visited D.C. this week for an Active Minds conference. The organization encourages students to talk about mental health and get help. She’s a member of the nonprofit’s student advisory committee. When she needed counseling, her parents were supportive. However, she has watched her friends struggle to get the support they need.
“A lot of my friends, their parents don’t believe in mental illness. they don’t believe that their kids need help. I don’t know if they’re in denial. They chose to bad-mouth it or ignore it so their kids don’t feel comfortable coming to them and saying that they need help,” Martin said.
The communications and marketing major hopes to work for a mental health nonprofit like Active Minds after graduation. Martin says this will help her to craft messages that break the stigma surrounding mental health issues.
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