Finding Help for a Healthier You
By: Springfield-Greene County Health
Last week for Mental Health Awareness Month we provided some definitions to know when discussing mental health. Whether that is with family, yourself, or your doctor, learning how to talk about mental health can help propel you forward to the next step: finding help.
It’s not always easy to remember that you are not alone, and recovery is possible, but it is true. Finding support systems like friends and family is important, but sometimes other services like therapy and psychiatry may be needed to point a person in the healthiest and happiest direction when it comes to mental health.
Finding Help
Did you know that 46.2% of U.S. adults with a mental health condition received treatment in 2020? That’s nearly half of all U.S. adults living with a mental health condition, which is pretty astounding.
Springfield-Greene County Health provides a full list of local mental health resources on its website, including psychiatrists, self-help resources, substance use and addiction recovery, anger management services, counseling, eating disorder therapy, LGBTQ+ organizations, clinics, and much more.
Additionally, there are national hotlines and crisis lines listed as well. They include:
- Borderline Personality Disorder Hotline: 888–482–7227
- LGBTQ+ Hotline: 888–843–4564
- Maternal Mental Health Hotline: 1–833–943–5746
- SAMHSA’s National Helpline: 1–800–662-HELP (4357)
- Suicide/Abuse Crisis Line: 800–999–9999
- Suicide Prevention Hotline: 800–273–8255, text 741741
- Spanish Suicide Prevention Hotline: 800–754–2432
Access to Help
Unfortunately, treatment options are not always accessible to everyone — this can be due to lack of resources, insurance coverage, health inequity, or geographical location. In fact, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that 150 million people live in a designated Mental Health Professional Shortage Area. Meaning, over 7,000 mental health practitioners are needed across the U.S. to help combat this shortage of health care professionals.
Not to mention, those who do have access to local resources may have no insurance coverage to afford it. In 2020, 11% of U.S. adults with mental illness had no insurance coverage.
Insurance status needs to be addressed to advance health equity, more specifically in this case, behavioral health. Health inequity prevents everyone from having a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible — including mental health. As Dr. Nancy Yoon here at the Health Department said in her “What is Health Equity?” blog post, we need the collaboration of health systems and providers, employers, public health agencies, policy makers, community organizations and others to all work toward the common goal of improving the health of everyone in our communities.
This week we will be talking about health equity in relation to mental health. Check back to our social channels to learn more about how social determinants like insurance status, proximity to services, and culturally responsive care impact mental/behavioral health.
View more Healthy Ozark’s Mental Health Month content:
Week 1: Welcome to Mental Health Month!
Week 2: Here’s What You Should Know When Talking About Mental Health
Sources:
https://data.hrsa.gov/topics/health-workforce/shortage-areas
https://www.samhsa.gov/behavioral-health-equity
https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/2020-nsduh-detailed-tables
