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A from insurance company Milliman and mental health policy group Inseparable shows Texans with mental health needs struggle to find and afford treatment.
Pennie Beauchamp, , said poor mental health 鈥渄rastically affects your quality of life.鈥�
鈥淵our mental health affects every part of your day,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t affects your relationships, it affects your family life, it affects your work life.鈥�
According to the report, more than 88% of Texans live in a county where there aren鈥檛 enough mental health providers. The national Health Resources & Services Administration designates these areas as 鈥�. Texas has the worst ratio of providers to people in the country, with about 690 people to every one provider in the state on average.
鈥淚t鈥檚 dire,鈥� said Beauchamp. 鈥淲e just don鈥檛 have access to care, and if we do have access to care, the population more or less can鈥檛 afford it.鈥�
For Texans diagnosed with a mental health condition, the report said only about 21% received specialty care, and accessed on average about eight therapy sessions a year.
Part of the reason for that low number could be cost, said Beauchamp: The average cost of an out-of-pocket therapy session in Texas, according to the report, can be more than $160, and even with insurance could be $68 or more.
More than 16% of Texans are uninsured, .
Psychiatrists are also 鈥渓ess likely to accept healthcare coverage of all types compared to other specialties,鈥� according to the report, limiting access to psychiatric medication.
But Beauchamp said mental health treatment shouldn鈥檛 be a 鈥渓uxury鈥� that only certain groups can afford and access.
鈥淚f I could put a PSA out there for the beginning of the year, move your mental health care to the top, let鈥檚 make that a priority,鈥� she said.
Kids and mental health support
Andy Keller, president of , said these barriers are 鈥渦niversal issues鈥� for health care, including mental health. Despite federal protections, Keller said there鈥檚 a lack of mental health parity, which means .
鈥淯ntil we really have a common standard for mental health, we鈥檙e not going to be able to make progress,鈥� he said.
Keller said there鈥檚 also a need for more prevention strategies for kids and their families. Kids can have symptoms of anxiety as early as eight years old, and often these symptoms manifest two years before an official diagnosis, according to a .
Keller said pediatric providers, educational staff, and families need to know how to recognize and identify signs of poor mental health in kids.
鈥淲e lack proactive support for mental health to support parents, because these are largely pediatric illnesses,鈥� Keller said. 鈥淧arents and caregivers really need to be our focus.鈥�
To improve pediatric mental health diagnostics and care, Texas launched the in 2020.
CPAN is a hotline for pediatricians and other health providers treating children to consult with mental health experts to identify the best courses of treatment for their patients.
Keller encourages people to start a conversation with a loved one about how they鈥檙e feeling and seek help if they鈥檙e not sure what to do.
鈥淭hese are sensitive, difficult issues to talk about, and so have someone help you with that,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hese are medical illnesses. Take it seriously. Say, 鈥楬ey, let鈥檚 go talk to your doctor. I鈥檒l go with you.鈥� The biggest thing is [to] support the person.鈥�
Got a tip? Email Elena Rivera at erivera@kera.org
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