Frequent Mental Distress - Women in United States

United States

A healthy mental state is key to overall health and well-being and is influenced by individual, community, family and societal factors. Frequent mental distress, defined by 14 or more days of poor mental health a month, aims to capture the population experiencing persistent and likely severe mental health issues. There is a strong link between the 14-day period and clinically diagnosed mental disorders such as depression and anxiety.

Populations suffering from severe mental illness and frequent mental distress have a higher prevalence of risky health behaviors, including smoking, alcohol use, unhealthy diet and lack of physical activity. These health behaviors increase the likelihood of developing chronic conditions like obesity, diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease. Chronic stressors such as housing insecurity, food insecurity and insufficient sleep are also related to frequent mental distress. In severe cases, poor mental health can lead to suicide, one of the leading causes of death in the United States. 

Frequent mental distress can impact financial health with costly treatments and missed economic opportunities. In 2019, the direct costs for treatment of mental health disorders among women in the U.S. totaled $61.5 billion. Among pregnant women and their children, untreated perinatal mood and anxiety disorders cost the U.S. roughly $14 billion.

According to America’s Health Rankings analysis, the prevalence of frequent mental distress is higher among:

• Women with independent living difficulty, who have a prevalence more than four times that of women without a disability. 
• Women ages 18-24 compared with older women ages 25-44.
• American Indian/Alaska Native, multiracial and white women compared with Asian women.
• Women with some post-high school education and women with a high school diploma/GED compared with those who have less than a high school education or graduated from college. 
• Women with an annual household income less than $25,000, who have a prevalence almost double that of women with incomes of $75,000 or more. 
• LGBQ+ women, who have a prevalence more than twice that of straight women. 
• Women who have served in the U.S. armed forces compared with those who have not served.
• Women living in nonmetropolitan areas compared with those in metropolitan areas.

Although occasional short periods of mental distress and a few bad mental health days may be unavoidable, more prolonged and severe episodes are treatable and potentially preventable through early intervention. Surveillance systems for mental health issues — including frequent mental distress — help prioritize and tailor mental health promotion, mental illness prevention and treatment programs. 

Parity laws that expand and protect insurance coverage for mental health care are associated with lower out-of-pocket costs, lower suicide rates and increased use of health care services. Collaborative care models, which connect primary care providers and mental health specialists, are also effective in managing depressive disorders. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a resources page for those who need mental health help, including a mental health services locator.

Healthy People 2030 has several objectives related to mental health, including: 

• Increasing the proportion of primary care visits where adolescents and adults are screened for depression.
• Increasing the proportion of adults with depression who get treatment.
• Increasing the proportion of adults with serious mental illness who get treatment.
• Increasing the proportion of homeless adults with mental health problems who get mental health services.
• Increasing the proportion of women who get screened for postpartum depression.

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