A new survey from West Health and Gallup finds that most Americans see gaps in mental and physical health. Seventy-five percent of U.S. adults polled say mental health issues are treated worse than physical health issues. This view increases for adults 65 and older.
Generally, 38% of U.S. adults surveyed say mental health issues are treated “much worse” and 37% say “somewhat worse” than physical health issues. A minority (15%) say both health concerns are treated “about the same.” Only 4% of respondents believe mental health issues are addressed “somewhat better” than physical health issues, while 1% say the treatment is “much better.”
In terms of mental health, respondents also see the cost of treatment and access to providers as barriers. Affordable treatment (52%) and finding a provider (42%) are the top two obstacles when seeking treatment for a mental or emotional health condition. The cost of care is especially problematic for younger Americans who say it might decide whether they seek treatment.
Americans, especially women and adults under 50, also see a rise in mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety. “More than 80% of U.S. adults say the incidence of such mental health problems has risen, including 42% who think they have increased ‘a lot’ and 39% ‘somewhat.’”
When asked to evaluate America’s national healthcare system when treating people, only 1% of U.S. adults gave the system an A. Eight percent of respondents gave the national healthcare system a B and 27% a C. The majority of those surveyed (57%) gave the American healthcare system a D (32%) or an F (25%).
“Most Americans do not believe care for mental health conditions is on par with care for physical conditions,” Megan Brenan, a research consultant at Gallup, wrote. “Though many view treatments such as counseling or prescription medication as effective, others deem them unaffordable or inaccessible or say negative stigma or their ability to self-treat might keep them away.”
Read the full report here.
Director of The Raceless Gospel Initiative, an associate editor, host of the Good Faith Media podcast, “The Raceless Gospel” and author of Take Me to the Water: The Raceless Gospel as Baptismal Pedagogy for a Desegregated Church.
