7 in 10 US consumers want their primary care doctors to ask about mental health

The data: Most patients want their doctors to ask them about their mental health during routine medical appointments, according to a recent survey from West Health and Gallup. Nearly 2,400 US adults were surveyed in October.

Digging into the findings: Patients prefer that their healthcare providers talk to them about both types of health concerns (physical and mental) and are generally comfortable bringing up mental health issues with a primary care physician (PCP).

• 70% of respondents want their PCPs to ask about physical and mental health, compared with 28% who only want to be asked about physical issues.
• 74% are either very or somewhat comfortable talking about mental health issues with a PCP.
• Only 9% say they’re very uncomfortable doing this.

Yes, but: Fewer people say that their PCP or family doctor has brought up mental health during an appointment.

• 32% of patients say a general practitioner has never asked them about their mental health.
• Women (71%) are more likely than men (60%) to report having been asked about their mental health.

Why it matters: Affordable access to quality mental healthcare is a struggle for many Americans.

• Around 1 in 5 US adults, or 59.3 million people, were living with a mental illness in 2022, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
• Yet only around half of those people received treatment in the prior year.
• The high cost of mental health treatment (52%) and difficulty finding providers (42%) are by far the top two factors that make US adults avoid seeking care, per a previous West Health and Gallup survey

PCPs are not mental health specialists, but many are trained to screen for behavioral issues. They are typically the first point of contact in patients’ health journeys and should take the opportunity to talk to them about what’s going on in their lives outside of physical concerns.

• PCPs can identify mental health issues earlier and make referrals to behavioral health clinicians when necessary.
• And they can check in with patients during regular visits to monitor and assess progress while communicating with mental health providers to avoid any gaps in care.

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