Most Americans Don't Receive The Mental Health Treatment They Need

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - It is estimated that one out of every five Americans suffers from a mental illness that could be helped with psychiatric services, but only 40 percent have received the mental health treatment they might need. A major issue is access to psychiatrists. In the study, which included a survey, it was found that only 26 percent of attempts to make an appointment with a psychiatrist were successful. Whether a patient had insurance or not seemed to have no impact on success. Scheduling appointments is not as much of a financial issue as a problem with access and enough psychiatrists available to handle the large number of cases. We need to improve access points and this may require non-psychiatrists with similar training to take a more active role.