Mental health illnesses are becoming increasingly common across the US and in 2014 approximately 18% of all US adults were diagnosed with some form of psychiatric or behavioral disorder (Heravaian and Chang, 2018). In 2019, the National Alliance on Mental Health recorded an increase in US adults experiencing mental illness to 20.6% (NAMI, 2021). Additionally, more than 112 million Americans live in areas of the country where mental health care is in short supply and shortages in rural mental health providers is especially severe (McGinty, 2021). In fact, rural individuals face unique challenges when attempting to receive effective treatment for mental health conditions including, lack of desire to receive care, lack of privacy, shortage of mental health workforce professionals, lack of culturally competent care, affordable care and transportation to care (RHIH, 2021). At the National Institute of Mental Health Office for Research on Disparities and Global Health (2018) Dennis Mahatt, the Vice President for Behavioral Health at the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education stated:
The cold hard facts about mental health in rural America is that more than 60% of rural Americans live in mental health professional shortage areas, that more than 90% of all
psychologists and psychiatrists and 80% of Master of Social Work, work exclusively in metropolitan areas. More than 65% of rural Americans get their mental health care from
primary healthcare provider and a mental health crises responder for most rural Americans is a law enforcement officer.
Examine the potential challenges and benefits of offering mental health support in rural areas through telehealth.
