Behavioral Health
Behavioral health encompasses mental health, well-being, and treatment of substance use disorders (SUD).
It influences thoughts, feelings, and actions. While mental health is essential to overall wellness, misconceptions and stigma often hinder access to care[1]. Poor mental health can impair people’s ability to lead a fulfilling life. The impact can extend beyond the individual—affecting families, communities, and workplaces.
Substance use disorders can also affect mental health. Misusing drugs, whether illegal or prescribed, can lead to addiction and disrupt daily functioning.
Addressing behavioral health is crucial for well-being. It can help prevent or manage other serious health conditions. Understanding these conditions can help providers deliver better, informed care.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
How Healthcare Access and Quality Impacts Olivia
Meet Olivia—artist, part-time barista, and resilient teenager. After experiencing homelessness and battling depression and a substance use disorder, her chosen family helped her heal and thrive.
Get to Know OliviaHow Healthcare Access and Quality Impacts The Jackson Family
Meet Evelyn—an immigrant grandmother struggling to prioritize her health after a lifetime without consistent care. Cultural differences, a language barrier, and past trauma make her hesitant to seek medical help, and she often relies on home remedies. Now, with mobility issues and diabetes, Evelyn faces the challenge of trusting the health care system.
Get to Know The Jackson FamilyHow Healthcare Access and Quality Impacts The Garcia Family
Meet Elena—a widowed mom experiencing grief and PTSD. She is navigating managing her family’s medical needs while living in a rural town with limited health care access.
Get to Know The Garcia FamilyHow Healthcare Access and Quality Impacts Chris
Meet Chris—a blind substitute teacher with high health literacy but constant barriers to accessible care. From being denied braille materials to microaggressions at clinics, Chris faces struggles within the system while managing his arthritis and other health care needs.
Get to Know Chris
Terms to Know
Any mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder.
- These can range from no impact to mild, moderate, or severe impairment.
- About 1 in 4 U.S. adults (23%) live with a mental illness.[1]
- Mental disorders are among the top causes of disability. For instance, depression increases the risk of physical health problems. These can include conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.[2]
[1] Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Any mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder that results in serious functional impairment.
- SMIs substantially limit or interfere with one or more major life activities.
- In the last year, about 6% of American adults had an SMI, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression.[1]
[1] Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
A treatable, chronic medical disease.
- It involves complex interactions among brain circuits, genetics, the environment, and an individual’s life experiences.
- People with addiction use substances or engage in behaviors that become compulsive and often continue despite harmful consequences.
- Prevention efforts and treatment approaches for addiction are generally as successful as those for other chronic diseases.[1]
A disease commonly known as addiction.
- SUDs are chronic, meaning they continue or occur again and again for a long time. About 1 in 6 (17%) of Americans ages 12 or older had a SUD in the last year.[1] They can range from mild to severe and can affect anyone.
- Addiction is a disease that changes the way the brain’s reward system functions.
- People with SUD often have trouble with functioning in their daily lives.
- Without treatment, it leaves people unable to control their use of illegal or legally prescribed drugs.
- Treatment is available. Recovery is possible.
[1] Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Using the M-W definition of “chronic” as endorsed by the NIH National Library of Medicine.
When a person has two disorders or illnesses at the same time or one after the other.
Comorbid illnesses might affect each other and impact how they get better or worse.
- People with comorbid SUD and other medical conditions are less likely to take their medication regularly and stick to their treatment plans. This can make their illnesses worse.
- Comorbid chronic physical, mental, and substance use disorders are associated with greater functional impairment and increased health care costs.
Relationship Between Mental Health and SUD
A person can have both any mental illness (AMI) and a substance use disorder (SUD), but that doesn’t mean one causes the other. Having AMI is a risk factor for developing SUD, and vice versa. These disorders often share common risk factors like genetics, environment, stress, and childhood trauma.
Call 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline if experiencing a behavioral health emergency.
Key
Facts
- 84 million U.S. adults have either AMI or SUD.
- 22 million U.S. adults have both AMI and SUD.
- 7 million U.S. adults who have severe mental illness (SMI) also have SUD.
- 25 million U.S. adults have SUD but not AMI.
- 38 million U.S. adults have AMI but not SUD.
Mental illnesses can contribute to substance use and addiction.
When a person develops a mental illness, their brain works differently. These changes might make them more likely to use drugs or alcohol and less likely to notice the negative effects.
Many who develop SUD are also diagnosed with AMI.
Substance use can change a person’s brain structure and make them vulnerable to developing AMI. For example, substance use can change the same brain areas disrupted by other mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, anxiety, mood, or impulse-control disorders.
Disparities in Treatment
Mental Health
Only about half of the U.S. adults with a mental illness received services in 2021.[1] Individuals from minoritized racial and ethnic groups experience additional barriers to finding and accessing mental health care. Due to complex societal factors, these disorders can be more persistent and disabling for individuals in these communities.
[1] Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Barriers
- Lack of access to health insurance, mental health services, and community-based interventions
- Lack of diversity and cultural understanding among mental health providers
- The prevalence of individual, community, and institutional stigma of mental illness
- Language, financial, or transportation-related barriers
- Mistrust in the health care system and providers
- Racial and generational trauma
SUD
Minoritized racial and ethnic groups also experience disparities in accessing SUD treatment and resulting outcomes. While SUD is equally prevalent among all racial and ethnic groups, the health of minority groups is disproportionately impacted.
Barriers
- Living in historically underserved and disadvantaged neighborhoods
- Lack of health insurance or adequate coverage for SUD treatment facilities
- Systemic legal and health issues affecting an individual’s ability to find and access timely services after receiving a diagnosis
- Availability of treatment options based on the types of substances used
- Disproportionate impact of criminalizing misuse of illicit substance
- Challenges associated with criminal justice involvement and detainment
Key
Takeaways
- Behavioral health is vital to overall wellness.
- Having either AMI or SUD increases a person’s risk of developing comorbid illnesses and disorders.
- Stigma and other barriers affect access to AMI and SUD treatment, especially in minoritized communities.
- Effective behavioral health care must treat the whole person and their comorbid health conditions.
Other
Healthcare
Topics
Health Coverage
Hoosiers have better health outcomes when they have adequate health insurance and are able to take medications as prescribed.
Health Literacy
Clear, culturally tailored information empowers informed health choices, improving health equity and outcomes.
Employment: Some people with SUDs might not be able to keep a job if they are unable to show a negative drug screen or if they have criminal convictions on their record. If they aren’t in recovery, they might struggle to go to work or do their job.
Economic stability: Economic stability means someone is more likely to have the resources needed for treatment and recovery. Unemployment, low income, and financial insecurity can result in economic instability and become significant stressors. These can contribute to mental health issues and substance use.
Academic performance: Having a mental illness or substance use problem can impact how successful one is in achieving educational goals. This can especially be true for school-aged individuals since mental illness is often an invisible illness.
Health literacy: Lack of health literacy can affect a person’s ability to seek help for mental health or substance use disorders. It can also impact their ability to understand and follow treatment plans.
Insurance coverage: When people are uninsured or underinsured, they’re less likely to seek mental health care. Lack of insurance coverage for recommended mental health and SUD treatments can also affect whether people can access timely care at all.
Medication: Some SUD treatment centers are biased against using medications, even for serious mental illnesses, and lack staff who can prescribe and monitor them.
Stigma: Institutional stigma results in fewer services and less research funding. Both make recovery harder. Also, if health care providers are not properly trained about stigma, people with SMI or SUD might have their concerns misdiagnosed, minimized, or dismissed.
Housing: Stigma and affordability issues can lead to difficulty finding housing or homelessness. When someone struggles with their housing situation, this can make mental health worse and can also impact a SUD.
Transportation: Lack of access to reliable transportation can make it difficult for people to attend treatment appointments.
Environment: Living in areas with high crime, poor environmental conditions, and a lack of recreational spaces like parks can increase stress and anxiety. These factors can worsen existing mental health issues or substance use. Safe, healthy, and supportive environments can positively affect mental well-being.
Workforce shortage: Some people live in areas without enough health care workers to meet the demand, which could delay access to treatment.
Adverse childhood experiences: Traumatic experiences that occur early in life can impact an individual’s ability to cope and can trigger mental illness or substance use.
Diversity and inclusion: LGBTQ+ individuals and people from diverse racial backgrounds may face disparities in accessing care due to having unique contributors to mental health challenges, such as discrimination.
Community support: Social inclusion, support networks, and community engagement can help protect against mental health disorders and substance use.
Stigma: Public stigma includes negative attitudes about mental illness or SUD. Internalized and community stigma among racial and ethnic minorities can lead to negative attitudes about SMI and SUD. This can further prevent people from getting the help they need.
Language barriers: Limited English proficiency can affect health literacy. Language differences between patient and provider are a barrier to care.