Three-quarters of Americans think the United States healthcare system doesn’t care as much about mental health compared to physical health issues — a sentiment shared by older adults specifically, according to a new survey.
The poll was conducted by West Health and Gallup, and was released Wednesday. The survey included 2,266 adults over the age of 18, some in the 65-and-up category. According to the survey, 82% of older adults think mental health issues aren’t treated properly compared to physical health; 75% in the general population hold this view.
By 2030, people over 65 will outnumber children for the first time in American history, the authors pointed out.
About 38% of those polled thought mental health was handled either much worse than physical health, while 37% said it was handled somewhat worse and 15% thought both factors were given equal attention. Just 5% said mental health was treated somewhat better, and 1% said it was handled much better compared to care for physical health.
The survey comes as 4 in 5 respondents said there’s been an increase in conditions such as depression and anxiety during the past five years, the data showed. Also, earlier this week, a FAIR Health report found that the percentage of people with a mental health diagnosis went up in all age groups between 2019 and 2023, with the largest increase in older adults over the age of 65.
About 57% of Americans give poor to failing grades to the nation’s healthcare system for the way it handles mental health conditions, the poll showed. In fact, 32% give it a “D” and 25% give it an “F.” Just 1% of those surveyed thought it got an “A,” 8% gave it a “B” and 27% said it deserved a “C.”
“Many Americans struggle with mental and behavioral health conditions that often go unaddressed in the context of treating and managing other medical conditions,” Timothy Lash, president of West Health, said in a statement. “Health systems, providers, caregivers and patients themselves need to pay just as much attention to mental health as they grow older as they do their physical health. The two are inextricably linked and critical to overall health, aging successfully and quality of life.”
According to the survey, 51% of Americans say they have experienced depression, anxiety or some other mental or emotional condition in the past 12 months. Of them, 22% said the condition disrupted their normal activities.
More than half of Americans sought counseling and 35% turned to prescription medications.
Affordability and access impacted 52% and 42% of respondents, respectively.
say their condition was so significant that it disrupted their normal activities, such as going to work or taking care of their household.
Seven in 10 Americans said they believed in the societal stigma around mental illness. The belief was strongest among 74% who said they had a mental health issue in the past year, as well as 75% of older adults.
