How Many Mental Health Professionals In The United States?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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According to the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there are more than 577,000 mental health professionals practicing in the U.S. today whose main focus is the treatment (and/or diagnosis) of a mental health or substance abuse concern. The data, the latest available, are from the 2016-2017 period.

How many mental health counselors are there in the US?

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program Occupational Title Substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors SOC Code 21-1018 Employment, 2020 327,500 Projected Employment, 2030 402,600

How many mental health counselors are there in the US 2019?

The number of people employed as Mental health counselors has been growing at a rate of 18.3%, from 98,283 people in 2018 to 116,248 people in 2019.

Are there enough mental health professionals in the US?

About 37% of the U.S. population, or 122 million Americans, were living in areas experiencing mental health professional shortages as of March 31. According to the USAFacts report, 6,398 mental health providers are needed nationally to fill those gaps .

How many mental hospitals are there in the United States?

As of 2020, there were 12,275 registered mental health treatment facilities in the U.S. Within those, 9,634 were less than 24-hour outpatient facilities while 1,806 facilities were 24-hour inpatient facilities.

What percentage of mental health professionals are white?

Therapist Statistics By Race

The most common ethnicity among is White, which makes up 76.4% of all Therapists. Comparatively, there are 10.6% of the Asian ethnicity and 6.3% of the Hispanic or Latino ethnicity.

How many psychologists are in the U.S. in 2021?

An estimated 106,500 psychologists possess current licenses in the United States. California (17,890) New York (12,020) and Pennsylvania (5,620) have the most licensed psychologists, while Wyoming (170), South Dakota (190) and Alaska (190) have the fewest.

What is the most common mental health concern in the United States?

Did You Know? Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, or 18.1% of the population every year. Anxiety disorders are highly treatable, yet only 36.9% of those suffering receive treatment.

How many black mental health professionals are there in the US?

Background. Data from the American Psychiatric Association (APA) shows that only 2 percent of the estimated 41,000 psychiatrists in the U.S. are Black, and just 4 percent of psychologists are Black.

How many people in the US see a psychiatrist?

Research indicates that during 2012–2014, an estimated annual average of 30 million mental health-related physician office visits were made by adults aged 18 and over (5). Psychiatrists provided care at 55% of these office visits, primary care physicians at 32%, and other specialists at 13% (5).

How many psychiatrists are there in the U.S. in 2021?

More states are adopting parity in insurance rules that require payers to cover mental health services at the same rate as other types of health-related illnesses. With the estimated 30,451 psychiatrists in the United States, there is still a large shortage to meet the needs of our patients in community health.

What president shut down mental health facilities?

Enacted by the 96th United States Congress Citations Public law Pub.L. 96-398 Codification

Are there still mental asylums in the US?

Although psychiatric hospitals still exist , the dearth of long-term care options for the mentally ill in the U.S. is acute, the researchers say. State-run psychiatric facilities house 45,000 patients, less than a tenth of the number of patients they did in 1955.

When did the last mental asylum close in America?

1967 Reagan signs the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act and ends the practice of institutionalizing patients against their will, or for indefinite amounts of time. This law is regarded by some as a “patient's bill of rights”. Sadly, the care outside state hospitals was inadequate.

What demographic has the most mental illness?

Young adults aged 18-25 years had the highest prevalence of SMI (9.7%) compared to adults aged 26-49 years (6.9%) and aged 50 and older (3.4%). The prevalence of SMI was highest among the adults reporting two or more races (9.9%), followed by American Indian / Alaskan Native (AI/AN) adults (6.6%).

How many psychologists in the US are Black?

In 2015, 86 percent of psychologists in the U.S. workforce were white, 5 percent were Asian, 5 percent were Hispanic, 4 percent were black/African-American and 1 percent were multiracial or from other racial/ethnic groups.

Are there more male or female therapists?

Data from APA's Center for Workforce Studies show that women make up 76 percent of new psychology doctorates , 74 percent of early career psychologists and 53 percent of the psychology work force.

Which state has the most psychology jobs?

California (16,900), New York (13,470) and Massachusetts (5,660) had the most licensed psychologists, while South Dakota (160), Wyoming (170) and Alaska (170) had the fewest.

Which state is easiest to get licensed as a psychologist?

  • Alabama. Alabama is a common choice among federal employees, because it does not require post-doctoral hours. ...
  • Hawaii. 1900 hours post-doctoral experience and EPPP required. ...
  • Kansas. ...
  • Iowa.

What is the number 1 mental illness?

Impacting an estimated 300 million people, depression is the most-common mental disorder and generally affects women more often than men.

What is the biggest mental health problem?

  • Anxiety Disorders. The most common category of mental health disorders in America impacts approximately 40 million adults 18 and older. ...
  • Mood Disorders. ...
  • Psychotic Disorders. ...
  • Dementia. ...
  • Eating disorders.

What are the top 5 major mental health disorders?

The five most common mental health disorders include depression, anxiety, eating disorders, substance abuse and attention deficit disorder ADD/ADHD . Millions of people suffer from these disorders in the United States and around the world.

James Park
Author
James Park
Dr. James Park is a medical doctor and health expert with a focus on disease prevention and wellness. He has written several publications on nutrition and fitness, and has been featured in various health magazines. Dr. Park's evidence-based approach to health will help you make informed decisions about your well-being.