Reasons for not receiving mental health services among young adults aged 18 to 25 who felt they needed mental health services in the past year: combined 2009 to 2013
Although many mental health disorders can be treated, nearly half of young adults do not receive needed mental health services.1 According to combined 2009 to 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) data, an annual average of 1.5 million young adults aged 18 to 25 felt they needed mental health services but did not receive any services in the past year. These young adults were asked to identify one or more reasons why they did not receive the services that they felt they needed.2 Cost/insurance issues were a barrier to getting mental health services for 692,000 young adults. About 545,000 young adults believed that getting services would cause them to experience discrimination from others, such as employers, friends, or family. Many young adults (570,000) had structural barriers to getting care, such as lack of transportation. Although these young adults felt an unmet need for services, 534,000 indicated that they had a low perceived need, and 180,000 indicated they did not think treatment would help.
Without treatment, mental health problems can negatively affect all areas of a person's life.3 The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provides resources for those seeking mental health care services. For information on accessing treatment, please visit https://findtreatment.samhsa.gov.