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It's the third time that Mental Health America (MHA) is making public its annual State of Mental Health Report, ranking the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia according to various mental health and access measures.
The report depicts a more insured country, but one which still fails to meet the needs of the people who need mental health assistance and guidance.
Some of the facts revealed by the report include a reduced rate of uninsured adults with mental health issues, while over 40 million U.S. citizens have experienced mental health concerns, and over 1.2 million people with mental health problems reside in prisons, lacking any type of required access care depending on their problems.
Of all the country's adults, over 50 percent don't receive treatment for their mental problems, and youth mental health concerns are raising substantially, as 6 out of 10 young people who suffer major depression symptoms have had no access to medication or any form of assistance. This situation is all the more dire, as states where the workforce is low only have 1 professional per 1 thousand people, including all the medical assistance staff combined.
This year, Connecticut is the first, and Nevada is the 51st.
"Mental illness touches everyone. We must improve access to care and treatments, and we need to put a premium on early identification and early intervention for everyone with mental health concerns," noted Paul Gionfriddo, MHA president and CEO.
The ranks were given taking into consideration 15 separate measures, among which mental illnesses in adults, serious depressive episodes in young people, or mental specialist available in each state.
"This is ultimately about the policy decisions we make," Gionfriddo said. "It isn't just about what states are red and what states are blue. ... But political environments in states do seem to matter. Those that invest more in mental health clearly have to throw away less money on jails and prisons," he concluded.
While more American citizens have access to services, 1 in 5 adults still suffer from a mental health condition, more than half of whom never received any medical care. The workforce shortage may be one of the responsible factors for this issue, especially in the less developed states.
Additionally, there is a difference between the citizens' insurance in states which expanded Medicaid (13 percent) and the ones from states that did not expand Medicaid (19 percent).
Some of the states with the lowest access to care also have high imprisonment rates. In Arkansas, Mississippi and Alabama alone there are 57,000 people who need mental health care and are jailed.
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