BPC Promotes Mental Health Awareness Month to Highlight Growing Crisis
Washington, DC – May marks Mental Health Awareness Month, an especially important reminder this year about the urgent need to increase treatment for people with mental health and substance use disorders amid a staggering surge during the pandemic. In response to America’s overwhelming crisis, the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Behavioral Health Integration Task Force recently released a report with recommendations for the Biden administration and Congress to advance the integration of primary care and mental health and substance use services to close the treatment gap. Research shows that integrated care enhances access to treatment, improves patient outcomes, reduces health disparities, and is cost effective. Some existing models even show cost savings.
Even before the pandemic, more than half of adults with mental health conditions went untreated—the percentage was even lower in Black and Latino communities. Recent statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that symptoms of anxiety and depressive disorders are only getting worse, rising significantly from 36% to 42% between August 2020 and February 2021. The largest increase is among adults under 30, who some say are not getting the help they need.
“Mental Health Awareness Month critically highlights the overwhelming mental health crisis in the United States, which has only worsened during COVID-19,” said Marilyn Serafini, BPC’s director of health policy. “With the majority of people with substance use disorders left untreated, the importance of finding more appropriate and timely diagnosis, treatment, and support can’t wait. That’s what our recommendations hope to provide.”
To interview BPC Health Project Director Marilyn Serafini or any of the task force members please contact Joann Donnellan, senior advisor of communications for BPC’s Health Program.
On May 24th, BPC will release and discuss a new national poll that was conducted to better understand the scope of COVID-19’s impact on the mental health and substance use crisis. Sign up for the virtual event.
Read Task Force Co-Chairs Sen. Sununu and Rep. Kennedy’s op-ed in The Hill.
Read the full report and press release.
Watch our report roll-out event.