(NewsNation) — About three-quarters of Americans believe mental health issues are identified and treated worse than physical health issues, according to a new West Health and Gallup survey.
The survey found 38% of U.S. adults say mental health issues are handled “much worse,” and 37% say it is “somewhat worse.” Meanwhile, 15% say they are dealt with “about the same,” and just 4% say mental health issues are treated “somewhat better” than physical health issues.
Respondents of the survey identified affordability and difficulty in finding a provider as the top two barriers to obtaining treatment for mental health issues. A smaller but still significant share of respondents said the belief that they could handle their condition without treatment was stopping them from seeking assistance.
Cost was also an important barrier for younger Americans. Roughly 60% of adults younger than 50 say the cost could be a barrier to seeking mental health treatment, compared with 46% of those 50 to 64 and 35% of those who are 65 and older.
In addition to perceiving mental health conditions as being treated inadequately in the U.S., Americans also believe these conditions have increased over the past five years.
More than 80% of Americans say the incidence of mental health problems, including anxiety and depression, has risen. This comes as 51% of survey respondents say they experienced depression, anxiety or some other mental or emotional condition in the past year. Of this group, 22% say their condition was so significant that it disrupted their normal activities.
Overall, nearly 60% of Americans think the way mental health conditions are addressed in the U.S. is either poor or failing.
