Mental Health Treatment And Suicide: Cost Prevents Americans From Getting Help, Survey Finds

About 40 percent of Americans think high cost is an impediment to the treatment for mental health issues, according to a new survey by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. About 47 percent of Americans believe they have had a mental health condition, but only 38 percent have received treatment for it, the Hill reported.

A majority of Americans surveyed understand only a few risk factors for suicide, the report found. Some 86 percent know that depression is a risk factor, but less than 50 percent associated anxiety disorders or panic disorders as risk factors, the survey found.

Only a little more than half of Americans have been affected by suicide, according to the Survey conducted in August. Suicide claimed the lives of more than 41,000 Americans in 2013 alone.

While 94 percent of American adults believe suicide is preventable some of the time, only 67 percent think they would tell someone if they were having thoughts of suicide. Women were also found to be more likely than men to tell someone if they were contemplating suicide.

“There’s a significant body of research that demonstrates that individuals suffering from anxiety disorders and depression face an increased risk for suicidal thoughts and attempts,” Mark Pollack, president of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, said according to the Hill. “Effectively diagnosing and treating both anxiety disorders and depression, especially when they co-occur, are critical pathways to intervening and reducing suicide crises.”

The study comes just before National Suicide Prevention Week, which starts Sept. 7. Suicide is the 10^th leading cause of death in the United States in all age groups, but males are far more likely to commit suicide, with about 79 percent of all suicide victims being male.

While males are more likely to commit suicide, females are about three times more likely than males to attempt suicide. Females are also roughly twice as likely to experience depression over males.