Most adults want docs to ask about mental health
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Gabriella Turrisi/Axios
Three out of four U.S. adults want their primary care provider to discuss their mental health during routine checkups, but roughly a third say they've never been asked about it, according to a new Gallup survey.
Why it matters: The poll shows a disconnect between patient expectations and provider behavior at a time when the country is in the midst of a mental health crisis and more health officials are looking at integrating behavioral health into primary care settings.
Driving the news: 74% of those polled said they were very or somewhat comfortable bringing up mental health issues with a primary care provider.
- Women (71%) were more likely than men (60%) to report being asked by a provider about their mental health.
- Half of those responding said it's "very important" for primary care providers to screen patients for anxiety and depression, while 57% said it was important for primary care providers to treat patients themselves for these conditions.
- Gallup partnered with West Health, a nonprofit aimed at lowering care costs and enabling seniors to age in place, on the survey of more than 2,300 U.S. adults in October.
Between the lines: An estimated 59 million people were living with a mental illness in 2022, and just over half (51%) received treatment in the prior year.
- More attention is being paid to how stress, diet, substance use and other behavioral factors are connected to chronic disease. Some care models even feature a behavioral health professional as a member of the primary care team.
- In the survey, more than half of those polled said they had at least one person in their household who has been diagnosed with a mental health condition.
- A previous Gallup-West Health survey found 3 in 4 Americans said care for mental health issues is worse than care provided for physical health. An Axios-Ipsos poll earlier this year found Americans saw mental health as one of the biggest threats to public health.
