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MedEquity

Mental Health

Mental Health Access and Population Trends

How access to mental health care is studied, and how to read population mental health indicators responsibly.

PublishedPublished: 2026-10-18· Sources verified: 2026-10-18

Beginner explanation

Mental illnesses are common. NIMH estimates that more than one in five U.S. adults — 59.3 million people, or 23.1% — lived with a mental illness in 2022.[1]

Many people do not get care: in the same survey, about half (50.6%) of adults with a mental illness received mental health treatment in the past year.[1]

MedEquity note: That gap is why access to care — who can get help, where and how easily — is studied alongside how common mental illness is.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, free, confidential help is available 24/7: call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.[2]

Key definitions

Any mental illness (AMI)
Any mental, behavioral or emotional disorder, from mild to severe impairment.
Serious mental illness (SMI)
A smaller, more severe subset of AMI that substantially limits one or more major life activities.
Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA)
A federal designation that directs limited resources to communities with the greatest need for primary care, dental or mental health services.
Protective factor
Something that makes positive mental health more likely, such as strong social connection or access to care.

Sources[1, 2, 3]

Condition characteristics

NIMH’s 2022 figures show how mental illness and treatment vary between groups:[1]

  • Prevalence of any mental illness was higher among females (26.4%) than males (19.7%).
  • Young adults aged 18–25 had the highest prevalence (36.2%), compared with 13.9% among adults 50 and older.
  • Among adults with any mental illness, 56.9% of females and 41.6% of males received treatment.
  • Treatment rates were lower among Hispanic or Latino (39.6%), Black or African American (37.9%) and Asian (36.1%) adults with mental illness than among White adults (56.1%).

Source[1]

These are national survey estimates, not Texas county values.[1]

Risk factors

CDC describes risk factors for poor mental health at several levels, including discrimination; lack of access to housing, health care, education, employment and economic opportunity; adverse childhood experiences and violence; social isolation; chronic medical conditions; and alcohol or drug use.[2]

Protective factors include quality employment, housing and education; strong social connection; positive coping skills; and living in safe communities with access to preventive care and mental and physical health services.[2]

Prevention and public health context

CDC promotes a public health approach that works at all levels to reduce risk factors and promote protective factors, especially during childhood and adolescence.[2]

HRSA designates Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas to focus limited resources on communities with the greatest need, and publishes searchable shortage-area data by state and county.[3]

Texas data context

MedEquity maps two PLACES mental health measures: depression (adults ever told by a health professional that they had a depressive disorder) and frequent mental distress (adults reporting 14 or more days of poor mental health in the past 30 days). Both are modeled estimates for adults.[4, 5]

A county workforce indicator (primary care physicians per 100,000 residents) is planned but not yet verified, so it is not shown.

HRSA publishes Mental Health Professional Shortage Area designations searchable by state and county, a candidate access measure for future versions.[3]

Read these together with care. A higher diagnosed-depression estimate can reflect better access to diagnosis as well as more illness, and CDC advises that PLACES estimates cannot be used to track trends over time.[6]

Related measures on the Explore map

Advanced material (optional)

Population trends in mental health need consistent measurement. NIMH’s estimates come from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which counts mental illnesses diagnosable currently or within the past year and excludes developmental and substance use disorders. PLACES measures use different questions and a different survey, so the two are not directly comparable.[1, 4, 5]

References

  1. Mental Illness (statistics). National Institute of Mental Health (NIH). https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness (accessed 2026-10-18).
  2. About Mental Health. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/mental-health/about/index.html (accessed 2026-10-18).
  3. Health Workforce Shortage Areas. Health Resources and Services Administration. https://data.hrsa.gov/topics/health-workforce/shortage-areas (accessed 2026-10-18).
  4. PLACES Measure Definitions: Health Outcomes. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/places/measure-definitions/health-outcomes.html (accessed 2026-10-18).
  5. PLACES Measure Definitions: Health Status. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/places/measure-definitions/health-status.html (accessed 2026-10-18).
  6. PLACES: Frequently Asked Questions. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/places/faqs/index.html (accessed 2026-10-18).
MedEquity provides general education, not diagnosis or treatment advice. For personal health questions, consult a qualified health professional. In an emergency, call 911.