The federal government should prioritize mental health over other issues

By Luke Camara ’27

Over the last few decades, suicide has continued to plague society with suicides happening more often and the number of people diagnosed with mental illnesses on a constant rise. The federal government should prioritize mental health over other issues because they have historically neglected to pass bills on mental health even with suicide being one of the leading causes of death in America, every 1 in 4 adults suffering from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year, and the topic of health care being among the top concerns of the public annually.

One of the more clear signs of suicide being an issue in today’s America is the number of suicides that occur per year and how suicide is one of the leading causes of death for Americans annually. More likely than not, the average American will typically know someone who has either committed suicide themselves or been directly affected by someone who has. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), they state, “Over 49,000 people died by suicide in 2023. That is one death every 11 minutes” (Suicide Data and Statistics – Suicide Prevention). This goes without saying that the amount of suicides that occur per year are clearly a problem in America. While the number of 49,000 may seem low, that number still holds a strong meaning as those people could’ve ended up living a very prosperous and meaningful life. However, due to the lack of resources and help provided by the federal government, they unfortunately were left with no other choice but to take their own.

Additionally, the CDC also shared a statistic that states, “Suicide rates increased 37% between 2000-2018 and decreased 5% between 2018-2020. However, rates returned to their peak in 2022”  (“Suicide Data and Statistics – Suicide Prevention”). This data is very important because it shines light on the somewhat dramatic increase of suicide rates in the span of only two decades, which could increase even more as time goes on. With that being said, because of this increase, suicide is ranked as the 11th most common cause of death in America. A study taken by the CDC showed that just in 2023 alone, 4% of all United States’ citizens considered ending their own life. To put that in perspective,  that’s if an additional 13 million people died, a dramatic increase from the average 2-3 million who die each year. Considering the facts, there is no doubt that suicide is becoming more and more of a problem as time goes on, and because of the lack of resources provided by the federal government, many people just choose to take their life because they feel that is their only option. 

While the dramatic increase in suicide rates may be the more obvious statistic, one that isn’t so obvious is the amount of Americans that suffer from a mental disorder in a given year. A majority of the time, most people who are suffering from a mental disorder don’t actually know they are suffering from it. There are many reasons for this, but the most common is that many Americans don’t want to be labeled as having a mental disorder because they feel there is a negative stigma behind it.  However, while they may feel they don’t have any mental disorder, the truth is that the effects are still very prominent. A study taken by John Hopkins Medicine states, “An estimated 26% of Americans ages 18 and older — about 1 in 4 adults — suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year” (“Mental Health Disorder Statistics”).  While this statistic may serve as a surprise to some, it is, however, very real. In addition to this statistic, John Hopkins Medicine also states, “Most people who commit suicide have a diagnosable mental disorder — most commonly a depressive disorder or a substance use disorder”. (“Mental Health Disorder Statistics”). So, due to the fact that 26% of Americans suffer from a diagnosable mental health disorder, and the fact that most people who commit suicide also suffer from a diagnosable mental health disorder, leaves no room for surprise about why the number of suicides by people with diagnosed and undiagnosed mental disorders is on a constant rise. 

The rise of suicides isn’t because of one reason alone, but instead a multitude of factors that make the problem worse. One of the most detrimental factors of them all is the amount of mental health care provided by the federal government. According to the National Library of Medicine, one of the biggest problems with the mental health care system in America is the availability of mental health care professionals to the public. They write, “The shortage and maldistribution of mental health professionals across the country further impedes access to mental health care” (Grover). Moreover, the National Library of Medicine also writes, “Less than one-third of the U.S. population (28%) lives in an area where there are enough psychiatrists and other mental health professionals available to meet the needs of the population” (Grover). After considering the research, it is very obvious that one of the major issues with America’s current mental health care system is its lack of availability to the public.

In addition to the lack of availability, the affordability of healthcare is another big issue in America. In fact, most Americans find the affordability of healthcare to be one of the biggest issues facing America today. According to Pew Research, “The affordability of healthcare (67%), inflation (63%), the federal budget deficit (57%) and the number of Americans living in poverty (53%) are also among the public’s top concerns”  (“Americans Continue to View Several Economic Issues as Top National Problems”). With that being said, it is very obvious that the general public finds the affordability and availability of healthcare to be a problem in today’s America. 

Now, one may argue that the current state of the healthcare and, more specifically, mental health care system in America is at a sufficient level due to the evolution of both medicine and technology. However, while both of these things can be true, the biggest figure that plays a role in the success of the mental health care system in America is the federal government. Without the needed support from the federal government, the healthcare system will continue to spiral down a very negative path. With that being said, according to the National Library of Medicine, “Analyses revealed that from 1989 to 2019, 4,574 mental health bills have been introduced to Congress (2.7% of the total number of bills)” (Crowley et al.). The federal government continues to neglect mental health. In addition to this, considering the earlier statistic from Pew Research, Americans believe that both the healthcare system and economy are two leading issues in America. However, after reviewing “Mental Health Bills” by GovTrack.us,  of the 6561 bills passed in Congress since 1989, 2881 of them, or 44%, were economically related. After considering both of these statistics, it’s clear that the federal government tends to show more interest in further developing the economy than their health and mental health care systems.

All in all, the federal government can do a much better job at making sure that our nation has an effective mental health care system. Suicide is a leading issue in the United States, and it is absolutely necessary that the federal government does something to counteract it. With that being said, there is also a lot that can be done at the local level. While it is important to consider the highest law in the land, the local level is where changes start and have meaning. As United States citizens, we each are given the opportunity to fight for what we think is right. Some examples of this are lobbying with congressmen and representatives to get them to draft legislation on mental health, joining a mental health interest group to help lobby and spread messages on mental health, creating a club in school or the community, and influencing your parents or guardians to vote for a representative who prioritizes mental health. These are ways how we as Americans can put mental health care and the economy on the same level as they should be, instead of the federal government continuing to neglect mental health each year.

Works Cited

“Americans Continue to View Several Economic Issues as Top National Problems.” Pew Research Center, 20 February 2025, https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2025/02/20/americans-continue-to-view-several-economic-issues-as-top-national-problems/. Accessed 9 May 2025.

Crowley, Max, et al. “Behavioral health policy for improving population health and wellbeing: opportunities for investment in evidence-based policymaking.” https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/, National Library of Medicine, 7 August 2020, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7413185/?utm_source=. Accessed May 9 2025.

Grover, Atul. “Exploring Barriers to Mental Health Care in the U.S.” AAMC Research and Action Institute, https://www.aamcresearchinstitute.org/our-work/issue-brief/exploring-barriers-mental-health-care-us. Accessed 13 May 2025.

“Mental health Bills.” GovTrack.us, https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/subjects/mental_health/6176. Accessed 12 May 2025.

“Mental Health Disorder Statistics.” Johns Hopkins Medicine, 2024, https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/mental-health-disorder-statistics. Accessed 9 May 2025.

“Suicide Data and Statistics | Suicide Prevention.” CDC, 26 March 2025, https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/facts/data.html. Accessed 9 May 2025.