Mental Health Treatment Gap

  All mental health reports

  Highlights of all mental health treatment reports

  All treatment gap detailed tables

  Latest mental health treatment gap highlights:

• In 2006, there were 10.5 million adults aged 18 or older (4.8 percent) who reported an unmet need for treatment or counseling for mental health problems in the past year. This included 4.8 million adults who did not receive mental health treatment and 5.6 million adults who did receive some type of treatment or counseling for a mental health problem in the past year. That is, about 20 percent of the 23.8 million adults that received treatment for a mental health problem in the past 12 months reported an unmet need. (Unmet need among adults who received treatment may reflect a delay in treatment or a perception of insufficient treatment.) (section on mental health treatment received and unmet need)
  
  
• Among the 4.8 million adults who reported an unmet need for treatment or counseling for mental health problems and did not receive treatment in the past year, several barriers to treatment were reported. These included an inability to afford treatment (41.5 percent), believing at the time that the problem could be handled without treatment (34.0 percent), not having the time to go for treatment (17.1 percent), and not knowing where to go for services (16.0 percent) (Figure 8.7).

  Mental health treatment gap reports and data:

• 2006 National Survey on Drug Use & Health (HTML): provides the latest data on prevalence and correlates of substance use, serious mental illness, related problems, and treatment in the U.S. 
  
  
  • Chapter 8.1:  Treatment for mental health problems and unmet treatment need among adults
    
  • Detailed tables: Unmet Need for Mental Health Treatment/Counseling
   

• 2005:  Treatment and Unmet Need for Treatment among Adults with Serious Psychological Distress

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