What are the statistics? The questions we should be asking?
Since the economic crisis of 2009, the US has plummeted in the global happiness index. Suicide rates are higher, and more people are seeking mental health resources. In the past year, the US has moved up four places in the global happiness ranking, currently sitting at no. 14. However- are people in the US really mentally well?
Before COVID, an estimated 26% of Americans experience mental illness, according to John Hopkins Uni. In the past two years, the number has horrifyingly shot up to roughly 46%. However, this percentage could be lower than the real amount of the American population that has struggled with these issues. This percentage comes from people who have seeked mental health help, as that is the only data available. If nearly half of the US population is suffering, why are mental health resources expensive? Why are the ones that are available to the large public are few and far between?
Almost half of the population needs these services, and yet only 19.2% of those with mental health problems have seeked treatment. Why? Because it is simply too expensive if you don’t have private insurance, which is not a reality for many Americans. In time, the market for mental health professionals has grown and yet there is still a shortage of mental health professionals. The problem isn’t people not wanting to seek help- the problem is that they just don’t have the means to. This industry in the US relies on making immense amounts of profit, as does almost every industry in the US- regardless of the ethicality of it all. People are suffering, but institutions are making millions. And to them, it’s worth it. In no world should profit overtake suffering. But it is a reality, and it will continue to be.
The Costly Expenses of Mental Healthcare
Research has shown that the US is likely to experience a shortage of mental health professionals until 2025. With this being said, mental healthcare is not a readily available resource to the public, especially for lower-income families. Therapy, on average, costs anywhere from $65-$250 per session without insurance. However, only about 56% of mental health professionals accept any form of insurance- comparative to the 90% of non-mental health professionals, it is a very low rate. This means that even if one does have insurance, the care and treatment of mental disorders is very costly. On average, one with a chronic mental illness can expect to pay anywhere from $10,000 to $15,000 a year- something that is simply not affordable for a lot of people. As a result, mental health disorders are often left untreated. “Oftentimes mental health disorders are under-diagnosed, and certainly undertreated. What generally happens is that most people don’t get treatment for it, or they might get some treatment, but not effective treatment,”, stated by Carol Alter, the medical director for behavioural health at Dallas-based Baylor Scott and White Health. “Only less than 10% of patients who have a mental health disorder actually get effective treatment.”.
What does this look like for less privileged peoples?
Looking at these numbers, the rates get lower for people of colour and for those using public insurance services. Roughly 40% of Americans use public healthcare, resulting in less accessibility to mental health resources. Two of the largest public insurances in the US, Medicare and Medicaid, do not offer adequate coverage for mental health resources. Medicare offers less than Medicaid, with a 190-day limit on psychiatric care and only covers approximately 23% of psychiatric professionals. Within this 23%, the majority reside in urban areas. Suburban towns, and rural areas moreso, lack professionals that are able to provide the services they need. As stated earlier, the US is experiencing a lack of mental health resources. With a booming economy, how could this be possible?
Now: with that thought in mind, think of undocumented people. They are unable to purchase any form of insurance in the US, and therefore cannot access any useful resources unless they are generating large amounts of income- something that is simply not a reality for many undocumented peoples. Since there is no public mental healthcare system, there is no way for many people to get the help that they need. This has led to a generational cycle of poor mental health, much aligning with the generational poverty cycle. Those two cycles affect one another: if a family is poor and generationally continues to be, the cycle continues. And if they are poor in the first place, they can’t afford good healthcare, not even to mention good mental health care- leading to rising suicide rates among lower-income people.
Final Thoughts
It is absolutely outrageous that money, and in turn, profit are the reasons that so many Americans are suffering. As everyone knows, the US runs under a free market capitalist system. That system precisely is the reason why so many Americans are unable to get the resources and services they need. In terms of free public healthcare- there is none. If there’s none for regular healthcare, there are bound to be none for mental healthcare. The capitalist system is making profit from people’s suffering. The more the public gives and gets taken away from them, the more the system gets. The American government is benefiting from the suffering of people. While there are Americans in crippling debt due to healthcare costs, it just means that the government makes more money. And that is a fact that is and will continue to be horrifyingly true.
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