In his first State of the Union address, on March 1, 2022, President Joe Biden outlined a multiprong strategy to address the country’s mental health crisis. It included goals to integrate mental health into primary care, investing in the work force and new approaches to programs that provide care. Unfortunately, almost three years later, Biden’s proposed strategy has not been implemented by his administration.
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In 2022, the Kaiser Foundation (KKF), in partnership with CNN, conducted a survey of Americans on the subject of mental health. Their survey reported that an overwhelming majority of people in the United States think the country is experiencing a mental health crisis.
Nine out of ten adults said they believed that there is a mental health crisis in the U.S. today. Asked to rate the severity of the six specific mental health concerns, Americans put the opioid epidemic at the top, with more than two-thirds of people identifying it as a crisis rather than merely a problem. More than half of those surveyed, identified mental health issues among children and teenagers as a crisis, as well as severe mental illness in adults.
The KFF and CNN poll reported that about half of the adults said they have had a severe mental health crisis in their family, including in-person treatment for family members who were a threat to themselves or others, or family members who engaged in self-harming behaviors.
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The National Institute of Mental Health (NIH) estimates that more than one in five adults (58 million) in the United States live with a mental illness. Mental illnesses include different conditions that vary in degree of severity. The three levels of severity are identified as mild, moderate, and severe. Two broad categories are used to describe these conditions. Any Mental Illness (AMI) and Serious Mental Illness (SMI).
AMI encompasses all recognized mental illnesses. SMI is a smaller and more severe subset of AMI.
According to Forbes Health, the following are mental health statistics and facts for the year 2022.
- 23.1% of U.S. adults experienced a mental health condition.
- 6% of U.S. adults experienced a serious mental health condition, which was often defined as a psychotic disorder, bipolar disorder or a severe anxiety or eating disorder that significantly impairs functioning.
- Approximately 5.2 million veterans experienced a behavioral health condition.
- Suicide is the second leading cause of death for U.S. children ages 10 to 14.
- The impact depression and anxiety has had on the global economy can be measured in $1 trillion in lost productivity.
- 51.7% of U.S. women received mental health services, while only 40% of men received mental health services.
- Young adults ages 18 to 25 in the U.S. had the highest rate of experiencing mental health concerns (33.7%) compared to adults aged 26 to 49 years. They also experienced the highest rate of serious mental illness (11.4%).
- Women are diagnosed with serious mental conditions at higher rates than men, 7% to 4% respectively.
- 50.2% of adults who identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual experienced a mental health condition.
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According to Psychology Today, American veterans suffer from higher rates of mental health conditions, including PTSD, depression, and substance abuse.
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New treatment strategies for veterans are desperately needed. The bureaucracy of the Veterans Administration (VA) must change its priorities among the veteran population. The VA has been burdened with providing support to all veterans regardless of where they served in the military. The VA must place veterans who have served in combat or in combat war zones, at the top of their priority treatment list. These veterans should be the first in line for treatment at all locations of the VA medical centers. Too many veterans, who have legitimate service-connected illnesses, have been placed in the line of priority, behind veterans who have never served in or near, a war zone.
A recent research study published in JAMA Neurology, has unearthed a deeply troubling trend: a greater than 10-fold increase in suicide rates among U.S. veterans from 2006 to 2020. Their report stated that “Our current treatment strategies are failing far too many veterans. Innovative perspectives, such as brain energy theory of mental illness, offer fresh hope and understanding.”
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Psychology Today, reported that, “An estimated 20 to 25 percent of the U.S. homeless population suffers from severe mental illness, compared to 6 percent of the general public. They concluded that the combination of mental illness, substance abuse, and poor physical health makes it difficult to maintain employment and residential stability. Better mental health services would combat not only mental illness, but homelessness as well.”
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Too many politicians, like Joe Biden, have only offered empty rhetoric about the mental health crisis in America.
Until federal, state and local governments work together to create a comprehensive mental health plan for all citizens, the crisis in mental health will only continue to grow worse. The current deplorable conditions are an existential threat to the well-being of our Nation.
James Peifer
