The mental health landscape is changing, especially when it comes to perception and demand.
“The pandemic has definitely accelerated that,” said Mat Gass, central region president for Burrell Behavioral Health.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows the percentage of adults seeking any type of mental health treatment increased by 2.4% between 2019 and 2021.
“We started to shift from a mental illness model where you only got care if something was really dramatically wrong, to a mental wellness model,” Gass said. “People started to say, ‘How do I take care of myself?’”
Structure of mental health services
Different organizations that provide mental health services are geared toward different people.
“It’s confusing for some people, and it hasn’t quite caught up to the primary care side of the world yet,” Gass said.
Whether those seeking mental health services need Medicaid-based services, have private insurance or prefer to pay out-of-pocket at some private practices, all of these options exist in mid-Missouri.
Gass said he believes accessing mental health care is confusing, but organizations across the region are trying to change that by raising awareness.
“There’s an awareness across the therapeutic communities that there are more people today seeking care than there are providers to be able to provide that service,” he said. “So we’re all very collaborative within the bounds of HIPAA allowances.”
Screening yourself for mental health needs
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends adults 64 years and younger get screened for anxiety disorders, even if they aren’t showing any symptoms.
“Sometimes we don’t know what those symptoms are, or even how to put words to what anxiety or depression looks like,” said Ashley Angerer-Blunt, director of outpatient services at Burrell Behavioral Health.
Angerer-Blunt says getting screened by a doctor can bring up questions about symptoms that might be directly related to anxiety or depression.
“Those are things that we might not necessarily bring up to our doctors or other people,” she said.
There’s also a way to take a pause and screen yourself at home for a possible answer to why you may be feeling off. Angerer-Blunt calls it the H.A.L.T. method.
- H: Hungry?
- A: Anxious or angry?
- L: Late?
- T: Tired?
“If I’m noticing something a little more elevated, then maybe I should go get checked out,” she said.
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Monitoring mental health in kids
Being on the lookout for the signs and symptoms of a mental health issue in children is also important, especially since experts say they often don’t have the language to communicate what they’re feeling.
“They might know that they’re feeling bad, that there’s something heavy going on, they’re stressed, but they may not know exactly what that means and what to do to relieve that feeling,” said Jessica Obuchowski, vice president of youth services at Burrell Behavioral Health.
This is why Obuchowski believes that teaching kids about both their mental and physical health is crucial.
“We talk a lot about physical health and mental health being the same as a way to reduce stigma. But the fact is, I think that we are just socialized at such a young age to recognize physical health signs much quicker,” she said. “We learn about mental health much later, probably too late.”
Obuchowski said there’s an average delay of about eight to 10 years between when the first warning signs of a mental health need appear in an individual to when they get intervention.
“If we equipped kids and families with the language to describe how they’re feeling, to normalize it a bit more, I think that would greatly help in reducing that eight to 10-year delay that we see,” she said.
One of the best pieces of advice Obuchowski said parents and caregivers can take is to connect their kids with positive, structured activities.
“What we know is that a connection with at least one significant, charismatic adult in their life can really be a game changer in terms of resilience for kids,” she said.
The future of mental health care
Although more people are seeking mental health services, several barriers still exist that prevent individuals from getting the care they may need.
“Access is always the issue,” Gass said.
Stigma, availability and cost are some other issues that Gass said can greatly affect the care someone gets. But he does believe society will see a shift in how the majority of people perceive and access mental health care.
“It’ll take a generation until that narrative fully changes,” he said. “But I think that things are improving.”
Gass said he hopes to see this change happen through more conversation.
“I really do believe the more we talk about mental health and the more that we talk about mental wellness, that we start to place that in our daily lives,” he said.
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, call, text or chat with a mental health professional by dialing 9-8-8, or by visiting 988lifeline.org