Navigating mental health treatment options can be overwhelming – a clinical psychologist explains why it’s worth the effort

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Bryan Cochran, University of Montana

(THE CONVERSATION) The percentage of Americans seeking mental health treatment nearly doubled between 2004 and 2022, with almost a quarter of the population reporting that they saw a mental health care professional in 2022.

This surge in help-seeking has many potential explanations. The pandemic, along with other external stressors, led to unprecedented high rates of anxiety and depression across all age groups.

Yet the majority of Americans with a mental health condition are not receiving adequate treatment or any treatment at all.

People who are pondering getting help face a lot of decisions with little information about how to navigate the system available to them.

As a licensed clinical psychologist and director of clinical training for a clinical psychology program at the University of Montana in Missoula, I spend a lot of time...