Mental health and substance use disorders are key public health issues and have received increased national attention in recent years. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, a growing share of people report poor mental health and deaths due to drug overdose have reached record highs. Alongside these worsening issues, challenges with accessing mental health and substance use services have persisted. Poor mental health and barriers to care can vary geographically and by population characteristics. This page highlights relevant findings on the mental health landscape, including state-level data and analyses at the demographic level.
Featured Mental Health Resources
Jul 18, 2022
The recent mass shootings in Uvalde and Buffalo have catalyzed discussion around mental health and gun policy. In the same week that the federal Bipartisan Safer Communities Act was signed strengthening background checks for young adults, adding incentives for red flag laws, and reducing access to guns for individuals with a domestic violence history, the Supreme Court struck down New York’s “proper cause” requirement for concealed carry allowances. In this issue brief, we use the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Wonder database and the State Firearm Law Database to examine the association between suicide deaths by firearm and the number of state-level firearm law provisions.
Related Mental Health Resources
Jun 22, 2022
As the federal government prepares to launch the national three-digit number “988” for the mental health crisis hotline in July 2022, this analysis shows that suicide death rates increased by 12 percent in the decade from 2010 to 2020 — with death rates rising the fastest among people of color, younger individuals, and people who live in rural areas. Suicide death rates in 2020 were highest among American Indian and Alaska Native people, males, and people who live in rural areas
July 18, 2022 Issue Brief
The recent mass shootings in Uvalde and Buffalo have catalyzed discussion around mental health and gun policy. In the same week that the federal Bipartisan Safer Communities Act was signed strengthening background checks for young adults, adding incentives for red flag laws, and reducing access to guns for individuals with a domestic violence history, the Supreme Court struck down New York’s “proper cause” requirement for concealed carry allowances. In this issue brief, we use the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Wonder database and the State Firearm Law Database to examine the association between suicide deaths by firearm and the number of state-level firearm law provisions.
July 8, 2022 Issue Brief
Firearms recently became the number one cause of death for children in the United States, surpassing motor vehicle deaths and those caused by other injuries. This brief examines how gun violence and other types of firearm deaths among children and teens in the United States compare to rates in other large and wealthy countries.
June 28, 2022 Issue Brief
Concerns about adolescent mental health and substance use have increased, particularly in light of gun violence and the COVID-19 pandemic. This brief explores the state of adolescent mental health in recent years, highlighting differences observed by sex, racial and ethnic groups, and sexual orientation.
June 22, 2022 News Release
As the federal government prepares to launch the national three-digit number “988” for the mental health crisis hotline next month, a new KFF analysis shows that suicide death rates increased by 12 percent in the decade from 2010 to 2020 — with death rates rising fastest among people of color,…
June 22, 2022 Issue Brief
As the federal government prepares to launch the national three-digit number “988” for the mental health crisis hotline in July 2022, this analysis shows that suicide death rates increased by 12 percent in the decade from 2010 to 2020 — with death rates rising the fastest among people of color, younger individuals, and people who live in rural areas. Suicide death rates in 2020 were highest among American Indian and Alaska Native people, males, and people who live in rural areas
June 6, 2022 Issue Brief
In this issue brief, we use 2020 data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) to examine key characteristics, coverage and health status of nonelderly adults with mental illness or substance use disorders to help inform ongoing federal and state efforts to improve quality and expand access.
June 6, 2022 Issue Brief
These FAQs review mental health and substance use disorder coverage and out-of-pocket costs in Medicare and discuss policy proposals related to coverage of mental health and substance use disorder treatments.
May 20, 2022 Blog
This post explains what’s known about how insurers use prior authorization as a tool to control costs and encourage cost-effective care, the state and federal laws that govern it, and ongoing policy debates over efforts to impose standards to limit or regulate its use.
April 26, 2022 Event
Increased social isolation, stress, and unemployment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic have contributed to a rise in mental health issues and substance use disorders (SUD) in the U.S. The impact of the pandemic has been particularly concerning for kids, as KFF’s most recent COVID Vaccine Monitor reported…
April 6, 2022 Poll Finding
A new KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor finds as many restrictions are being lifted, most of the public say they have personally returned to doing some of their pre-pandemic activities, but not all. In addition, majorities still report wearing masks in public indoor areas, but the public is split on whether the transportation mask mandate should continue. The pandemic has had a heavy toll on mental health, both for adults and their children, with people citing lack of human interaction and financial struggles as challenges over the last two years.
