Mental health care access continues to be a problem in the state
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BY VALLERY BROWN vbrown@opubco.com
The statistics are staggering.
Nearly half of all Americans will develop a mental illness during their lifetime, according to data from the National Comorbidity Survey.
More than a quarter of adults in the U.S. have a diagnosable mental health problem, but only about half seek treatment, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health estimates about 22 percent of Oklahomans have some form of mental health issue.
Advocates say the heart of the problem is a fragmented system of care spanning the public and private market, spilling over into nonprofit or community care, and in many cases, the prison system.
“Mental disorders are more prevalent than heart disease, diabetes, stroke …
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