According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 75.9 million people suffer from some type of mental illness in the United States, but only half of those affected get treatment, mostly due to a lack of available resources and screenings.

The study concluded that only about 50% of children that suffer from mental illness will get treatment, and high-school students with mental illness are twice as likely to drop out of school.

Moreover, members of the LGBTQ and multicultural community are almost twice as likely to develop mental illness than Caucasians, Hispanics, Asians, or those of African descent.

Even more concerning, less than half of the nation’s counties have a certified psychiatrist. This low number of medical aide may be responsible for the low number of victims not getting the help they need, but it might also be a matter of not being able to afford the help.

Also, 11.3% of adults with mental illness and 13.4% of adults with a serious mental illness lack the necessary insurance coverage. This leads to these people having to pay out of pocket. With some psychiatric hospitals having up to $300 an hour and medications averaging at $5,000 a week the bills pile up faster than what most can afford.

The study also dove into the sensitive topic of suicide.

Suicide is ranked tenth among the leading causes of deaths in America, and the suicide rate has increased by 31% over the course of the past eighteen years.

LGBQ youths are four times as likely to attempt suicide compared to straight youths, transgender-identified adults are twelve times as likely to attempt suicide compared to the general population.

According to Mental Heath America, many people don’t recognize the symptoms of mental heath problems but screening can help catch them early.

The Mental Health America website offers anonymous, free and private screening to learn about your mental health and if you are showing warning signs of a mental illness.

While it is too soon to know what the impact of COVID-19 will be on the mental health of the nation, the combined effect of social distancing, fear of contracting the disease and the economic stress caused by it are sure to cause more people to experience mental health issues.

The following information on COVID-19 and mental heath is provided by Mental Health America: