Nearly 2 million California adults don ’t get needed mental health care

Of the 3 million California adults who have recently experienced psychological distress and are eligible for public mental health services, 1.8 million say they have received no treatment or support, according to apolicy brief released today by theUCLA Center for Health Policy Research.The findings, the researchers say, highlight the need to expand access to the prevention and early intervention programs of the state ’s Mental Health Services Act, or Proposition 63, passed in 2004 to provide comprehensive support for uninsured residents and those on Medi-Cal or other public insurance programs.While previous studies assessing unmet mental health needs have focused on people requiring intensive services, such as those with serious psychological distress, this analysis is the first to also identify and examine gaps in care for those with moderate psychological distress, which, if untreated, could become severe and disabling, said the report ’s lead author,D. Imelda Padilla-Frausto, a research scientist at the center.“We wanted to approach the gaps in mental health care services from a strong public health standpoint, in that preventive and early care is crucial to keep issues from significantly interfering with individuals’ daily lives and negatively impacting their overall quality of life,” said Padilla -Frausto.The researchers used data from the center ’s 2018 California Health Interview Survey, or CHIS, to investigate the potential of MHSA programs to reach adult...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news