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Need

Behavioral health needs have been rising over the course of the last many years, and the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these concerns. The prevalence of mental health, substance use, domestic violence, and other conditions – combined with inadequate numbers of behavioral health care professionals and other resources – underscores the importance of community-focused and evidence-based behavioral health organizations like Caminar. The need in our communities – and the nation and world – is considerable.  

Mental Health

 

Youth and Adolescent Mental Health 

  • In California, childhood anxiety and depression have risen 70% since 2015 

  • 16.39% of youth (age 12-17) report suffering from at least one major depressive episode in the past year

  • 11.5% of youth (over 2.7 million youth) are experiencing severe major depression

  • High school students with significant symptoms of depression are more than twice as likely to drop out compared to their peers 

  • 70% of youth in the juvenile justice system have a diagnosable mental health condition 

  • Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people aged 10-14 and the 3rd leading cause of death among those aged 15-24 in the U.S. 

Adult Mental Health

  • 1 in 5 U.S. adults experiences mental illness each year 

  • 1 in 20 U.S. adults experiences serious mental illness each year 

  • 55% of adults with a mental illness do not receive treatment

  • 4.84% of adults reported serious thoughts of suicide, and 11% of adults who identified with two or more races reported serious thoughts of suicide

Mental Health Resources

  • In the U.S., there are an estimated 350 individuals for every mental health provider – and these figures may be an overestimate by including providers who are no longer practicing or accepting new patients

  • As of June 2022, over 152 million people lived in a mental health workforce shortage area, and only 28% of the mental health need in shortage areas was being met by mental health providers

LGBTQIA+ Mental Health and Well-Being

  • Lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth are nearly four times more likely to attempt suicide than straight youth

  • Compared to the general population, suicide occurs more often among those who identify as transgender and gender-nonconforming (TGNC), with lifetime suicide attempt rates between 30% and 81% 

Substance Use

  • 6.34% of youth in the U.S. reported a substance use disorder in the past year

  • 15.35% of adults had a substance use disorder in the past year, and of them, 93.5% did not receive any form of treatment

Domestic Violence

  • 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner

  • On a typical day, local domestic violence hotlines receive approximately 19,159 calls, approximately 13 calls every minute

Unemployment

  • The rate of unemployment is higher among U.S. adults who have mental illness 6.4% compared to those who do not (5.1%) 

Homelessness

  • 20.8% of people experiencing homelessness in the U.S. have a serious mental health diagnosis

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