In the article “Psychiatric Care in the US: Are We Facing a Crisis?” written by Leah Kuntz, the author highlights the major areas of concern in regards to America and the lack of access to mental healthcare that most citizens face. Kuntz writes that “approximately 26% of US adults older than 65 years who were surveyed said they did not access needed mental health care because of costly patient financial responsibility. … An individual with major depression can spend an average of $10,836 a year on health costs versus an individual without major depression who has an average annual health care cost of $4584.” When comparing out-of-pocket costs to that of one’s average income, the prices for taking care of one’s psychiatric state prove to be unfeasible and mean that many people forego getting the help they need, thus worsening their symptoms and going undiagnosed. Along with financial reasons, approximately 1 in 6 kids aged 6 to 17 pre-pandemic were diagnosed with a treatable mental health condition, yet mental health services amongst minors declined. It is believed that disparities of the racial and economic kind are to blame. being that youth within minority groups are the most impacted. Lastly, the amount of psychiatrists able to provide quality care reflects a mass shortage throughout the entire nation. Approximately 55% of continental US counties have no psychiatrists and 77% report a severe shortage. This is due to the fact that most practicing psychiatrists are 50 years or older and approaching retirement. With a growing influx of psychiatry students entering the field, these statistics will better themselves; however, it is thought that the US will continue to experience this shortage for at least another three years. All of these points are seen to be major areas of concern when it comes to the state of mental health care in America and the lack thereof.

 

Who is the author? Leah Kuntz is the assistant editor for the Psychiatric Times. They are very well-educated with mental health issues, having published numerous articles on various topics.

Who is their audience? The audience is those curious about mental health topics, along with professionals in the field.

What’s the occasion? Written on April 1st of this year, it is a post-pandemic article highlighting how COVID affected the mental healthcare system and how things look now.

What’s the purpose? To inform readers of current statistics and persuade them to agree that the US is currently undergoing a mental health crisis

What’s the genre? It is a non-fiction article. It includes plenty of statistics and quotes so as to be credible and present clear facts that support the overall claim that the US system is in a state of crisis.

What is the tone? It is informative, yet concerned. The language being used by the author, such as the repetition of the word “crisis”, reflects the grim undertones of the topic.

Relevance: It is heavily relevant to my current research question.

Accuracy: There are multiple hyperlinks to other studies and quotes, as well as multiple cited statistics.