Americans feel left in the dark.
The latest: A Gallup survey shows the majority believe mental health problems are spreading, but treatment isn’t.
- 57% grade the US mental healthcare system a D or F.
- 38% say mental health is treated worse than physical.
When it’s accessible, most think therapy beats prescriptions — but over half cite affordability as a barrier, while 42% say finding a provider is hard.
Headway. From 2019–22, the number of adults seeking mental health services spiked ~40%. But, as more seek therapy for relatively minor afflictions, demand is outpacing supply.
Scaling up, companies are hoping to reach those most in need.
- Specializing in serious mental illness, hybrid providers Lightfully and Amae both secured funding this year.
- Expanding teletherapy to Medicare/Medicaid patients, Brightside raised $33M in March, and Grow Therapy added $88M in April.
- Increasing in-network specialty care options, Talkspace announced new partnerships with Charlie Health, Ria Health, and Bicycle Health.
- Leveraging tech for better therapist matches, Two Chairs raised $72M last month.
Working toward a full-spectrum solution, Headspace added chat-based mental health coaching to its meditation app, with plans for DTC therapy later this year.
Punchline: Americans are more in tune with their mental state than ever. A double-edged sword, greater self-awareness is dissolving stigma, but mild anxieties are being pathologized — fueling outsized demand for treatment.
