About 50% of women ages 18 to 64 said they needed mental health services in the last two years, but only half of them were able to get an appointment, according to a recent survey.
The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) survey includes a sample of 5,145 women and 1,225 men between the ages of 18 and 64. It was conducted online between May 10 and June 7.
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The report found that more women were in need of mental health services than men. While half of female respondents said they needed mental health support, only 35% of men said they needed it. However, of those who required mental health services in the last two years, women and men reported seeking care at similar rates: 60% and 56%, respectively.
There is also a disparity when it comes to age, KFF found. Nearly two-thirds, or 64%, of women ages 18 to 25 reported needing mental health services in the last two years. Comparatively, only 35% of women ages 50 to 64 said this. Additionally, 55% of women with low incomes and 58% of women with Medicaid coverage said they required mental health support, compared to 47% of women with higher incomes and 47% with private insurance.
While half of the 50% of women who reported needing mental health care in the last two years were able to secure an appointment, another 10% attempted to get care and were not able to. Another 40% didn’t try.
“This suggests that the other half of women who report needing care may have unmet mental health needs,” KFF said.
These findings come at a time when the United States is facing a major workforce shortage of behavioral health providers. Half of the women who tried to get an appointment were able to get one within a month, but more than a third had to wait longer. Of those who were unable to secure an appointment, many listed limited provider availability and cost as the key reasons.
Even those who were able to lock down an appointment experienced challenges. About two in 10 privately insured women who got an appointment reported that their provider did not take their insurance.
These challenges to accessing care have important implications for women.
“Unmet mental health needs are known to affect the overall well-being and productivity of individuals, families, and society, and studies have consistently shown that women are disproportionately affected by these unmet needs,” KFF stated.
Increased access to telehealth is providing some relief, however. About 60% of women had a telehealth visit in the last two years, and 17% of those women said the main purpose of their most recent visit was for mental health. Additionally, 69% of women who had a telehealth visit for mental health care said the quality was equal to an in-person visit.
“Telehealth and telemedicine services have been recognized as an evolving strategy to increase access to care and address health needs, including care for mental health,” the report said. “We found that most women who received mental health services via telehealth say the quality of care they received was the same as in-person care. Telehealth has and likely will continue to play a role in addressing mental health access concerns for women.”
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