Mental illness affects several million individuals, and their relatives and friends, in communities across the United States and has major social and economic implications for society as a whole. The U.S. mental health system and services have changed significantly over the past several decades, as services have shifted from institutionalized to community-based settings. Advances in pharmacological, psychosocial, and preventative interventions and in mental health policy have helped to improve the mental health system in many respects. Access to acceptable quality mental health services, however, remains inadequate for far too many individuals who suffer from serious mental illness. The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly contributed to the growing need for mental health services and increased the gap between the need for and availability of mental health care documented at length in our reports between 2014 and 2016
The following series of reports, issue briefs, and op-ed piece provide extensive information on different aspects of the nation’s mental health system with particular emphasis on Florida’s system. These reports and issue briefs provide more than sufficient documentation showing that the U.S. mental health system is critically underfunded and that the need for increased access to better quality mental health services is rapidly growing. These reports and issue briefs also show that policy changes are urgently needed to fix this failing system. Each report and brief includes recommendations for concrete improvements that we think are clearly supported by information provided in the report/brief.
Documentary:
Completed Reports:
- Adult Mental Health Services Update
- Aging and Mental Health
- Childhood and Adolescence and Mental Health
- Managed Mental Health Care
- The Criminal Justice System and Mental Health
- Environmental and Economic Factors Associated with Mental Illness
- Recommendations for Ending the Long Neglect of Persons Needing Mental Health Care
Issue Briefs:
- Mental Health Expenditures in Florida: Concerning Trends throughout the Past Decade
- The Challenge of Suicide in Older Adults
- The Mental Health and Criminal Justice Systems: The Burden of Forcing One System’s Responsibilities onto Another
- Aging and Mental Health: The Troubles Facing the Current Geriatric Mental Health System
- Mental Health and Violence: Misconceptions Surrounding Mental Illness
- Florida’s Strained Mental Health System
- Review of the Executive Actions