Black and Hispanic adults with fair or poor mental health are less likely than white adults to say they have received mental health services, reflecting concerns about cost and other barriers to care

A new KFF analysis of our 2023 Survey on Racism, Discrimination, and Health finds that black (39%) and Hispanic (36%) adults who report fair or poor mental health are less likely than white (50%) say they have received mental health services in the last three years.

Such disparities reflect several barriers to mental health care identified by these adults. In addition to concerns about cost and being too busy or unable to take time off to seek care, Hispanic and black adults also disproportionately report other challenges, such as being afraid or embarrassed to seek care, not know how to find a provider or think they would not be able to find a provider with a common background.

The findings come against a backdrop of what other KFF surveys and analysis indicate is a national mental health crisis in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. People of color have been disproportionately affected by the increase in drug overdose and suicide deaths across the US in recent years. They are also more likely to report experiences of racism and discrimination, which are associated with worse mental health and well-being.

Other key findings from the survey include:

• Among adults who received or tried to receive mental health care, Asian (55%) and black (46%) adults were more likely to report difficulty finding a provider who could understand their background and experiences in compared to their white counterparts (38%). Among those who felt they needed mental health care but did not try to find a provider, Hispanic adults were more likely than white adults to say the main reason was that they did not know how to find a provider (24 % vs. 11%) or they were afraid or ashamed to seek care (30% vs. 18%).
• Awareness of the 988 mental health hotline remains low, particularly among Black, Hispanic, and Asian adults. As of the summer of 2023, nearly one in five (18%) adults say they have heard a lot or some about 988, with black (16%), Hispanic (11%) and Asian (13%) adults less likely say they have heard of 988 than white adults (21%).
• Adults who report unfair treatment or negative experiences with a provider are twice as likely as those without these experiences to say they went without needed mental health care. Four in ten (41%) adults who report being treated unfairly or disrespectfully by a health care provider and about a third (35%) of adults who say they have had at least one negative experience with a health care provider say they did not get the mental health services they thought they needed compared to smaller percentages of those not reporting these experiences (18% and 15%, respectively).

For more data and analysis based on KFF’s Racism, Discrimination and Health Survey, visit kff.org.