On this edition of Your Call, we’ll talk about why it's so difficult to access mental health services. What it will take to improve access? According to Mental Health America, more than 56 percent of adults experiencing a mental health illness are going untreated.
Barriers to access vary, but a shortage in mental health providers has forced some to rely on on emergency services. One study found a 42 percent increase in use of emergency services for psychiatric care in recent years. What explains this? And what will it take to improve this system?
Guests:
Kelly Davis, director of Peer Advocacy, Support, and Services at Mental Health America
Peter Murphy, outreach coordinator for the Mental Health Association of San Francisco, which operates the city’s Warm Line, a peer-run non-emergency resource for people in the Bay Area seeking emotional support
Web Resources:
Mental Health America: Finding Help
Mental Health Association of San Francisco: Peer-Run Warm Line
Miami Herald: Leaders react and take steps after second tragedy at Parkland
