Mental and behavioral health disparities are up to 14 times greater between subpopulations, according to a new report on behavioral health equity released July 17 from the United Health Foundation, the charitable arm of UnitedHealth Group.
"America's Health Rankings Health Equity in Focus: 2023 Mental and Behavioral Health Data Brief" outlines the most prominent mental and behavioral health disparities in five major subpopulation groups: race and ethnicity, age, gender, disability status and sexual orientation.
In the context of the report, mental illness regards emotional, psychological and social well being. Behavioral health regards specific actions taken that affect mental health.
Here is the breakdown, according to the report:
Race and ethnicity
- American Indian and Native Alaskan youth faced disparities that were 14 times worse than other racial and ethnic groups overall. A major disparity is the greater likelihood of experiencing more than one household-level adverse childhood experience compared with Asian, Hispanic, Black and multiracial youth.
- Hispanic adults were more likely to experience depressive episodes than Asian adults, and Hispanic youth were more likely to experience depressive episodes than Black youth.
- Black adults were more likely to have both substance use disorders and a co-occurring mental illness, compared with Asian adults. Black youth were more likely to experience household-level ACEs than both Asian and Hispanic youth.
- White adults were experiencing high and increasing rates of using nonmedical prescription drugs and illicit drug use. White youth were more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety disorders than Asian youth.
- A majority of Asian children reported having a caregiver who lacks emotional support or coping skills for parenting.
Age
- Young adults experienced a rise in rates of frequent mental distress and depression diagnoses.
- Mental and behavioral health challenges are more significant in the younger population and decreased as the age group increased.
- Adults aged 18 to 25 faced higher rates of suicidal thoughts, major depressive episodes and unmet mental health treatment needs than all other adults.
Gender
- Women were more likely than men to struggle with a mental health condition, but men were more likely to struggle with behavioral health conditions.
- Women were more likely to experience higher rates of anxiety, depression and other mood disorders.
- The overall rate of frequent mental distress was 1.5 times higher in women than in men.
Disability status
- Adults with disabilities faced disparities that were 3.5 times worse than adults without disabilities, with 30.5 percent battling frequent mental distress.
- Adults with disabilities were more likely to have substance use disorders co-occurring with a mental illness, compared with adults without a disability.
- Youth with disabilities were more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety, experience depressive episodes and face more than one household-level ACE than youth without disabilities.
Sexual orientation
- Adults identifying as lesbian, gay or bisexual experienced higher rates of suicidal thoughts, depressive episodes and illicit drug use compared with heterosexual adults.
- LGB adults were also less likely to be receiving treatment for mental health needs.
- Substance use disorders were also more likely to co-occur with mental illnesses in LGB adults than heterosexual adults.