Mental Illness Is Much Too Common in the US According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, approximately 18.5% adults in the US, or 43.8 million, experience mental illness annually, and 4.0%, or 9.8 million, experience serious mental illness that significantly interferes with major activities. More than one-fifth (21.4%) of teenagers, 13– 18, experiences a severe mental disorder at some point during their lifetime. Of the 20.2 million American adults with substance abuse issues, approximately half (50.5%) have some kind of co-occurring mental illness. More than a quarter (28.3%) of Native Americans/Alaskans live with a mental health condition; 19.3% of Caucasian Americans, 19.6% of African-Americans, 16.3% of Latino Americans and 13.9% of Asian Americans.

The Most at Risk An estimated 46% of homeless adults have severe mental illness and/or substance abuse disorders. This number decreases to 26% among homeless adults in shelters. Approximately 20% of those in state prisons and local jails have a recent history of mental illness. Among juvenile offenders, 70% have at least one mental health condition and 20% have a serious mental illness. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US, and 90% of those who die by suicide have an underlying mental illness. LGBTQ youth are two to three times more likely to attempt suicide than heterosexual youth.

Mental Health Providers by the Numbers Mental health providers include psychiatrists, psychologists, licensed clinical social workers, counselors, marriage and family therapists and advanced practice nurses specializing in mental health. There is one mental health provider for every 529 people. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 139,820 mental health counselors, 682,100 social workers, 24,820 psychiatrists and 166,600 psychologists during 2016. Psychiatrists, who are medical doctors, are the highest paid at $194,740. The American Medical Association’s 2016 Physician Practice Benchmark Study reported that 40.1% of psychiatrists owned their practices, one of the lowest among specialists. Almost half, 47.2%, were employees and 12.6% were independent contractors.

Receiving Help That Makes a Difference According to the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) latest data, there were 19.559 million treatment visits for psychotherapy and 17.431 million visits for mental health counseling, other than psychotherapy, during 2014. During 2014, there were 35.326 million psychiatrist visits at which one or more drugs was provided or prescribed, which was 5.3% of total psychiatrist visits. According to the latest data in the 2016 National Mental Health Services Survey from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, there were a total of 13,983 mental health facilities providing inpatient, residential and outpatient services.

The Mental Health Industry’s Prognosis Statista forecasts that total revenue for the US mental health and substance abuse services industry will increase from $53.2 billion for 2017 to $54.3 billion during 2018, an increase of 2.1%. The Affordable Care Act has given more Americans access to mental health services; however, 19% of Americans remain uninsured in states that did not expand Medicaid and 13% remain uninsured in states that did expand Medicaid. According to the CDC, the uninsured rate for people with serious psychological health issues decreased from 28.1% to 19.5% between 2012 and 2015, but this may change as Congress considers changes to or repeal of the Affordable Care Act.

Advertising Strategies Invite mental health care professionals in your GMA to participate in any health fairs that your station sponsors and/or promotes. Host community outreach seminars/presentations to reduce the stigma associated with mental health treatment. Dedicate some time to work with underserved communities, such as minorities, families of teens and LGBTQ to provide them with the help they need. Feature this effort on social media with photos and videos.

New Media Strategies Use social media to present quick facts about mental illness and urge family members and friends to help those who are struggling with depression and other mental health issues to find the appropriate professional care. Offer virtual individual and group therapy sessions online for patients who have limited mobility or access to transportation or who are too embarrassed to join in person. Partner with physicians and other MDs to offer their patients a free e-newsletter or digital information about combating depression and other issues when suffering from major physical health issues.