Adequate care doesn't sound good

"More than 26 percent of American adults have a diagnosable mental health disorder, but of those, only 33 percent are receiving care, according to data from the National Institute of Mental Health. And of that number, one-third is receiving treatment that is considered only minimally adequate." (Emphasis mine.)

I am really horrible at math, but if 1/3 of people with mental illness are receiving care, and only 1/3 of that number is getting care that meets the "adequate" standard, then we have a huge problem here. That's a lot of people without any care, and lots of people getting substandard care.

I wonder how we compare to other countries. According to @Skypilotofhope Canada spends 5% of the GDP on mental health, while European countries spend 14%. I can't find any good numbers for what the U.S. spends, but I'm sure it's close to nothing. Just try and go out and get mental health care here. It's impossible if you don't have the money for it. Therapy for me is $30 a week, and that's the rate for unemployed people. Most people don't have the luxury of spending that much.

And meds. Meds! We already had this discussion, but I'll say it again: $967 for 3 months of three drugs is still insane. I can not afford that. No one can, unless you're wracking up credit card debt to pay for sanity. And that was the price of drugs shipped from Canada. You don't even want to know what the local pharmacy was trying to charge me.

There's just no way to get mental health coverage in this country without having health insurance, and they don't have to cover you if you have a pre-existing condition. So where are you then? You're here in the boat with me. taking the meds that have the most side effects but are at a reduced cost ($300 for 3 months). You're seeking out nonprofit assistance for therapy and getting seen by therapists in training because they're cheaper. You're fighting tooth and nail not to have to be hospitalized, because that just wouldn't be financially possible.

What a mess.