Here is a look at the state of behavioral healthcare in the U.S., using figures reported by Becker's in 2022.
- More than 50 million adults, or 20.8 percent of the U.S. population, experienced a mental illness in 2020. Out of that 20.8 percent, 5.4 percent were considered to have experienced a severe mental illness.
- The percentage of adults in the U.S. who reported any symptoms of depression and anxiety increased from 11 percent to 40 percent from 2019 to 2020.
- Fifty percent of all women in the U.S. said they felt they needed mental health treatment in the past two years, compared to 35 percent of men.
- A survey found that 73 percent of Americans have a personal connection to substance abuse. Sixty-five percent said a family member or friend has experienced addiction and 36 percent reported they have felt dependent on substances at some point.
- More than 6 percent of adults in the U.S. had an illicit drug use disorder and 11 percent had an alcohol use disorder in the past year.
- More than 16 percent of youths ages 12 to 17 reported experiencing a major depressive episode between 2019 and 2020. The rate of suicide attempts in children increased by 55 percent in the same time period.
- The average employer cost of a pediatric mental health appointment increased from $2 in 2019 to $407 in 2022 — an increase of 20,250 percent.
- CDC research found that 45 percent of high school students said they were consistently sad and hopeless, leading to a loss of desire to participate in normal activities. An agency survey also found that 1 in 5 considered suicide, and 9 percent of teens had considered suicide within the past year.
- Forty-six percent of psychologists said they felt unable to meet the demand for treatment from patients.
- Psychologists saw a 79 percent increase in patients with anxiety disorders, a 66 percent increase in depressive disorders and a 64 percent increase in trauma disorders.