Access To Mental Health Essay

In the United States, the topic of accessing mental health is on the rise. “More than one in five U.S. adults live with a mental illness (57.8 million in 2021)” (“Mental Illness”), yet some of these people who do suffer from a mental illness may not have access to treatment. In the United States, there is a significant difference between access to mental health services in rural and urban areas. Urban means “being in a well-populated city” compared to rural, meaning “living in the country.” People who live in urban areas have higher accessibility rates than those who live in rural sections. Urban cities allow people to get more care for mental health services, while rural life is limited. Access to mental health services in rural vs. urban

One category is called “Any Mental Illness” this is a category that is defined as “a mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder” (“Mental Illness”). In America,” there were an estimated 57.8 million adults aged 18 or older in the United States with AMI” (“Mental Illness”), which is high, and some of these individuals may be limited due to where he or she lives at. The second category is “Serious Mental Health,” which can be defined as “defined as a mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder resulting in serious functional impairment, which substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities” (“Mental Illness”). In the United States in 2021, “there were an estimated 14.1 million adults aged 18 or older in the United States with SMI” (“Mental Illness”). Individuals may not have gotten help due to mental health disparities. People who live in urban cities are more likely to gain access to mental health services than in rural

In rural areas, there is a higher percentage of poverty compared to urban areas. According to the United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, “the nonmetro poverty rate was 15.4 percent in 2019, compared with 11.9 percent for metro areas” (Farrigan) because nonmetro areas are poorer than metropolitan areas. The accessibility of getting mental health services is limited. “One-fifth of those living in rural areas, or about 6.5 million individuals, have a mental illness” (Morales), and these individuals will have a lower chance of getting mental health access due to poverty. People living in rural areas are less likely to get mental health treatments because of poverty. One reason poverty is higher in rural areas than in urban areas is because of a lack of job opportunities. Distance is a problem for rural people since they live in the country. Living in rural areas, places are farther to travel, resulting in fewer job opportunities. Fewer job opportunities lead to fewer people accessing healthcare. And healthcare is needed to be able to access mental health services. Without a healthcare plan, people can not receive access. “Varied insurance coverage [are] also critical in limiting individual’s access to treatment and utilization of professional services” (Morales). Not everyone in rural America can afford to pay for professional services. Compared