Finding mental health providers in the United States: a national survey and implications for policy and practice

Background: Research suggests that a major barrier to mental health treatment is not knowing where to go for services, yet little is known about the specific steps people take to find treatment. Aims: To (1) understand the process people would undertake if they decided they needed mental health treatment and (2) examine how well the process that current non-treatment-seeking individuals describe matches that used by individuals currently in treatment. Methods: Adults recruited online via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (N = 669) answered questions about finding a mental health provider. Participants who had (N = 167) and had not (N = 502) seen a mental health provider in the past month were compared. Results: Both groups indicated they would rely on Internet searches and recommendations of family, friends and physicians to find mental health providers. The order in which participants indicated they would use each step was similar across groups as was participants’ confidence these steps would help them find a provider. Differences emerged in the factors each group indicated were important to their selection of a provider. Conclusions: Results can inform mental health providers and policy makers regarding the importance of clear and informative online mental health information, including thorough information about appropriate mental health providers.