May 19, 2023
The rate of adults who have been diagnosed with depression during their lifetime has reached a new high, and is nearly 10 percentage points higher than reported during 2015, according to the latest Gallup survey.
The survey highlights the pandemic’s toll on mental health and the need to bolster our nation’s behavioral health system to ensure care is available for everyone who needs it.
“Clinical depression had been slowly rising in the U.S. prior to the COVID-19 pandemic but has jumped notably in its wake,” the report notes.
Among the key takeaways from the report:
Additional information about the Gallup survey is available online.
HAP supports strategies to expand and sustain Pennsylvanians’ access to behavioral health care by increasing services throughout all care settings, strengthening the behavioral health workforce, and improving care delivery and payment models.
This week, HAP sent a letter of support to the House Health Services Committee urging lawmakers to authorize $100 million in one-time, federal COVID-relief dollars to support vital behavioral health as outlined by last year’s Behavioral Health Commission for Adult Mental Health.
Learn more about our behavioral health advocacy.
Tags: State Advocacy | Behavioral Health
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