Mental wellness impacts every aspect of our lives, from satisfaction and self-esteem to problem solving, social relationships and work performance.
When mental health challenges become mental health crises, it can pose immediate risk to an individual’s life.
Aside from science’s lack of understanding about how our brains work and the social perceptions of mental illness, unlike treating a broken bone, access to care and effective treatment for mental health challenges can be staggeringly difficult. Not addressing these issues also carries a far greater cost, not only for the sufferer but for those around them.
The Scale of the Problem
Between 2021 and 2022, nearly 60 million Americans (23% of adults) experienced a mental illness, with over 12.8 million reporting serious thoughts of suicide.
In 2022, ~50,000 Americans died by suicide; an increase of 3% from the previous year.
Despite the number of Americans suffering from mental illness, multiple barriers prevent many from receiving the care they need; in 2021, while 22.8% of adults had a mental illness, only 18.8% of these received any form of treatment.
1 in 4 adults are unable to see a mental health practitioner due to cost, while an estimated 129.6 million people live in one of the 5,930 federally designated mental health care Health Professional Shortage Areas.
In fact, less than one-third of the U.S. population (28%) live in areas where the mental health workforce is sufficient to meet demand and over half of U.S. counties lack even a single practicing psychiatrist. This uneven distribution creates substantial obstacles for those seeking care, exacerbating mental health disparities across the country.
The nation’s healthcare system is challenging to navigate when seeking mental health care, with limitations in provider availability, network restrictions, and lower reimbursement rates hindering timely and effective treatment.
In many communities, stigma poses additional challenges, discouraging individuals from seeking help, and historical inequities and negative experiences with healthcare providers fosters distrust, further deterring individuals from accessing essential mental health services.
Ineffective Treatment
The risk of suicide among patients hospitalized and subsequently discharged for deliberate self-harm is alarmingly high. Studies indicate that the risk of suicide increases (conservatively) 400% following psychiatric hospitalization, with risk peaking in the period immediately after discharge.
Determining the direct causal effect of inpatient admission on subsequent suicide is complex, but the heightened risk post-hospitalization underscores the critical need for vigilant follow-up care.
Current hospital-based suicide prevention measures are often ineffective, lacking specific therapies tailored to prevent suicide. While hospitalization may offer short-term protection, its benefits are frequently short-lived. Observational studies have failed to demonstrate a clear clinical benefit of hospital admission in preventing suicide, highlighting the need for more targeted and effective post-discharge interventions.
Moreover, a severe lack in mental health professionals trained in suicide care prevents individuals from accessing help. There are no national standards requiring mental health professionals to be trained in the treatment of patients exhibiting suicidal ideation. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, currently, only nine states mandate training in suicide assessment, treatment and management for health professionals, with 70% of academic institutions providing no specific suicide training for clinicians.
Cost of the Crisis
In 2020, medical costs relating to suicide and non-fatal self-harm (attributed to individuals, payers and employers), equaled $13.4 billion. While the total economic cost of suicide totaled approximately $510 billion.
Driven primarily by life years lost to suicide, working-aged adults (25–64 years) accounted for nearly 75% of the annual economic cost of suicide, with costs further extending to employers and the workforce through lost productivity and absenteeism.
Families also bear a significant financial burden of suicide and mental illness, due to lost income and additional childcare responsibilities, but the emotional impact of mental health crisis or the loss of a loved one due to suicide is unquantifiable.
Aside from the human duty to preserve life, there is a clear and urgent need for comprehensive mental health support and suicide prevention strategies to mitigate the substantial economic and social consequences on individuals, families, and the broader economy.
Clinically Validated Care
The only proven, clinically validated solution for suicide risk reduction, Vita Health’s suicide intervention is shown to reduce suicide attempts by 60% and deaths by 80%, without the need for hospitalization.
Delivering immediate access to therapy with compassionate, licensed clinicians, in partnership with national payors, providers, employers and leading universities, Vita’s telehealth-based program saves payors up to $16,000 per patient.
Accessible from the comfort of home, Vita’s brief therapy is accessible nationwide and enables individuals to maintain their normal routine, to support positive outcomes.
A Medical Necessity
Suicide claims 132 lives daily, approximately one person every 11 minutes, but by training more clinicians in suicide, increasing access to services across the US, and providing clinically-validated intervention without the need for hospitalization, Vita Health is lowering the cost of suicide financially, emotionally and in lives saved.
