Behavioral health is no longer confined to traditional diagnoses or clinical walls. As the U.S. grapples with widespread burnout, rising adolescent mental health concerns and the aftereffects of the pandemic, behavioral health leaders are increasingly being called to address needs that stretch across age groups, settings and social determinants.
Question: The definition of behavioral health need is expanding — from workplace burnout to adolescent distress and aging populations. What emerging patient population or behavioral health challenge do you believe the industry isn’t yet prepared for — and how should leaders begin responding?
Editor’s note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Jill Wiedemann-West. CEO of People Incorporated Mental Health Services (Eagan, Minn.): The definition of behavioral health is indeed expanding. I often say, “we all have mental health,” we simply find ourselves in different places on the spectrum. The challenges of the last several years have allowed the concept of mental wellness to become far more acceptable and less stigmatized, even celebrated in some ways. We have moved past the discomfort of discussing mental health and embraced the acknowledgment that mental health is in everyone and is everywhere. It affects not only how we act and feel, but how we take care of ourselves, how we learn, how we engage with others and how we heal.
During the worldwide pandemic, we experienced firsthand how isolation and lack of engagement drove anxiety and impacted our ability to learn and engage with others. We continue to see the effects of this in the mental and behavioral challenges our youth experience today. We have developed a more acute awareness of the concept of “burnout.” We have a more developed awareness that burnout means we might lack resilience and optimism, and perhaps struggle with mood issues that prevent us from developing that essential resilience and renewed sense of hope and optimism. These are just two examples, but provide a view into the reach that mental health has in our lives and pursuits, and all of those who we touch daily.
We know that 1 in 5 adults, and 1 in 7 youth experience mental illness annually. More than 61 million in the United States struggle. Without an eye toward building stronger mental health and wellness at every level, most essential functions and responses to adversity and disease cease to have an adequate path to response and resolution. Because our mental health matters in all aspects of our person, we must see the assessment and acknowledgment of this area become a vital part of how we work, seek community and treat disease. If we do not see mental wellness as a concept that is as core to work as our responsibilities, as core to learning as a syllabus, and as perfunctory in healthcare as the assessment of a medical condition or core diagnostic, we will continue to miss the mark, chasing the ability to integrate a potent response to the whole person.
Jason Barker, CEO of ABA Centers (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.): One of the most pressing challenges in behavioral health is the growing prevalence of autism diagnoses and the lifetime of care that accompanies the condition. Diagnosis rates continue to rise and, while awareness has expanded, the industry’s capacity to deliver high quality, continuous care across every life stage is still a great area of opportunity.
Some pretty significant systems have been built around early intervention services, but a gap remains for individuals with autism as they transition from adolescence into adulthood. The behavioral health industry must take a lifespan approach to autism care: investing in workforce development, creating a seamless journey of care and designing programs that evolve with the individual’s needs over time.
Autism is more than a childhood condition, it’s a lifelong journey, and our systems must evolve to reflect that reality by prioritizing infrastructure that sustains continuity and by building partnerships between providers, educators, and employers.
