Behavioral and Mental Health Treatment

Common forms of mental illness are depression and anxiety. Over the past decade, the number of U.S. adults who have received mental health treatment has consistently increased, reaching over 40 million in 2019. Despite awareness campaigns, there are still barriers to treatment, such as affordability and the stigma associated with mental illness. The most common type of mental health treatment among U.S. adults is prescription medication, followed by outpatient and inpatient care.

There are over 12,000 mental health treatment facilities in the U.S. Outpatient facilities are the most common, followed by community mental health centers and general hospitals with separate psychiatric units. Therapy remains the preferred approach, with individual psychotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy the most widely available. Mental health facilities offer treatment programs for specific client groups, with services, for example, tailored for persons with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or co-occurring mental and substance use disorders.