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Topics: State Budget Healthcare Education Jobs & Economy What is New Hampshire? Local Government Corrections and Juvenile Justice Information that Matters Mental Health and Substance Abuse |View Past Topics| |
Adults and Mental Health in New Hampshire
Brief Description |
Full Report (PDF)Executive Summary
This paper is one of a series of reports commissioned to inform policy-makers about the status of adult mental health in New Hampshire. The first section describes the best prevalence estimates of mental health disorders among adults.
It is estimated that nationally approximately 26% of the population over the age of 18 have a mental health disorder. And approximately 16% of the population has some functional impairment which affects their ability to interact, form social connections and to function in a family. If New Hampshire is consistent with the rest of the nation, these estimates of prevalence would translate to more than 250,000 adults that would have a diagnosable mental health disorder and slightly more than 150,000 would have a mental illness that significantly affects their ability to engage in daily living.
In addition to prevalence, service use and access is also an important consideration when discussing the scope of mental health issues impacting adults. The second section of this report is intended to provide an assessment of the prevalence of service use among recipients in the Medicaid program and in the private sector in New Hampshire, based on administrative claims data for adults.
The analysis suggests that almost 80,000 - or 17% - of the privately insured adults showed some evidence of a mental illness diagnosis and/or treatment in 2005. In the Medicaid program, 50% - or 25,000 adults - showed evidence of mental illness during that same time period. These data show only the prevalence of mental health disorders among the adults who accessed services, and they should be viewed within the context of the overall prevalence estimates presented.
Much of the variation across the public and private systems raises important questions about the differences in how these populations are served. Further research is needed to determine if the prevalence and services provided for these adults are truly different, and what implications there are for the behavioral health system.
One of the most noteworthy findings from this analysis is the potential impact of the aging of the population on the behavioral health system. Service use prevalence in both the private sector and the Medicaid program increases as age increases. The increases in the Medicaid program, in fact, were dramatic. For those that were eligible for the Medicaid program due to their elderly status[1], 57% had documented evidence of a mental illness. The aging of the population – along with the diagnoses associated with the elderly including Alzheimer’s and other cognitive impairments – raise important questions about the future needs for mental health services.
[1] Individuals who are eligible for Medicaid via elderly status must also meet the income and/or disability requirements.
New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies