Nurse’s Guide to Caring for Patients With Mental Health Challenges

Proper care for mental health is a huge and often unmet need in the United States. Less than half of all adults with mental health challenges are receiving the care that they require.

The situation is even worse for children; only one in five with mental health conditions receives sufficient care. Access to mental healthcare is one of the biggest disparities in health, with limited access among rural and lower-income patients. Unfortunately, this often includes large numbers of populations of color.

Mental health nursing can be emotionally and financially rewarding, but it can also be emotionally draining. This guide offers tips for providing the best nursing care of patients with mental health challenges.

• Nationally, 29.7% of patients with a cognitive disability were unable to see a mental health provider because of cost. The numbers vary by state. For instance, 18.5% of Rhode Islanders with cognitive disabilities reported being unable to afford care, while to 40.7% in Texas reported the same.
• African Americans were the least likely of any racial group to receive mental healthcare, with only 45% reporting they had access to treatment.
• African Americans are less likely to receive culturally competent care than white patients. Physicians are 33% more likely to engage in patient-centered communication with white patients than with African Americans.
• People who are biracial are more likely than any other group to report mental health conditions. Among biracial adults, 24.9% reported experiencing a mental health condition, compared to 22.7% of American Indian/Alaska Natives, 19% of whites, and 16.8% of African Americans.
• Among transgender adults, 48% reported considering suicide, compared to 4% of all adults.

There are several barriers to care for persons with mental health challenges. These can include:

• Insufficient numbers of healthcare providers and a lack of access, especially in rural and low-income communities
• Difficulty finding in-network providers for mental healthcare
• High cost of mental healthcare, especially for patients without insurance or with high deductibles or copays
• Patients who perceive a stigma about seeking mental healthcare, that is, patient or cultural perception that mental health problems are because of personal or moral weakness
• Cultural beliefs or misconceptions that depression or anxiety isn’t real or that those who experience either are weak
• Lack of trust in the medical establishment and healthcare providers, especially among African Americans
• Lack of public education that addresses mental health conditions and treatment that can help
• Difficulties accessing culturally competent care or care in one’s own language

Many of these barriers are vicious cycles, as people without access to care are more likely to experience financial difficulties, which worsens their access to care.

Similarly, those who believe in stigmas about mental health are less likely to seek education about mental health conditions.

Nurses can address many of these barriers by educating themselves, their communities, and patients. They can also engage in advocacy for mental healthcare.

Page last reviewed May 13, 2022