National Mental Health Report Highlights Growing Concerns, Even Before COVID; Connecticut Among States Leading in Response
/The 2021 State of Mental Health report, just released by Mental Health America (MHA), rated Connecticut at number 13 among the states in a comprehensive review of data across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, prior to the pandemic, that examines the status of individuals living with mental health issues and access to insurance and health care.
The report, “The State of Mental Health in America,” according to the nonprofit organization, is designed to provide a snapshot of the mental health status in the U.S., so that policy makers and mental health professionals can track changes in the prevalence of mental health issues and access to care and understand how the data can impact legislation and polices moving forward.
Officials at MHA also hope that seeing the data trends in each state will increase dialogue with individuals and their families about improving outcomes and making mental health a priority.
They point out that the report is publishing data sets gathered in 2018-19, which means the data trends do not reflect experiences and trends from the Coronavirus pandemic. Mental health incidence and concerns have increased substantially during the pandemic, among adults and youth. In recent weeks, the dramatic increase in cases at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center has been widely chronicled, heightening calls for immediate action to respond to the growing number of cases.
Overall, in the report, Connecticut ranked #4, but drops slightly to number 8 for youth. Connecticut ranked number 9 in access to care, and number 7 in the availability of mental health workers. States that received an overall ranking of 1-13 indicates lower prevalence of mental illness and higher rates of access to care.
“Connecticut has done a good job of restoring our place at the top of the list of states that are making mental wellness a priority, yet in regards to access to insurance and treatment, our state ranked number 9,” said Luis Perez, President and CEO of Mental Health Connecticut.
“It’s important to remember that Connecticut has one of the highest levels of income inequality across the country. To ensure we keep investing in our mental wellness, we can’t take our foot off the gas pedal. We must increase our support of prevention and intervention efforts, and continue to make mental health parity a priority.”
Some good news, highlighted by Mental Health Connecticut: Connecticut’s percentage of Youth with Severe Major Depressive Episode decreased from 9.0% in 2017-2018 to 7.8% in 2018-2019. Yet, the state ranked #8 for youth, and officials point to additional areas of concern nationwide, even before the pandemic:
Over 2.5 million youth in the U.S. have severe depression, and multiracial youth are at greatest risk.
Over 60% of youth with major depression do not receive any mental health treatment. Even in states with the greatest access, nearly one in three are going without treatment.
The percentage of adults with a mental illness who report unmet need for treatment has increased every year since 2011.
Both adults and youth in the U.S. continue to lack adequate insurance coverage. 11.1% of Americans with a mental illness are uninsured.
Rates of substance use are increasing for youth and adults.
“To set our state up for success, we must invest in efforts to support our youth. From traditional treatment to holistic wellness programs, it’s time to elevate the importance of access to care, prevention, and self-regulation. The only way to do this is through funding and policies and ensuring that mental health care is just ‘health care’,” said Perez.
In a separate report, “COVID-19 and Mental Health: A Growing Crisis,” MHA found that “the number of people looking for help with anxiety and depression has skyrocketed.” The number of people screening with moderate to severe symptoms of depression and anxiety has continued to increase throughout 2020 and remains higher than rates prior to COVID-19, the report, issued earlier this year, found. The report also noted that “young people are struggling most with their mental health,” and that “more people are reporting frequent thoughts of suicide and self-harm than have ever been recorded in the MHA Screening program since its launch in 2014.”
MHA indicates that nearly 1 in 5 American adults will have a diagnosable mental health condition in any given year, and that 46 percent of Americans will meet the criteria for a diagnosable mental health condition sometime in their life, and half of those people will develop conditions by the age of 14.
