Access to mental and emotional health care is a major concern for rural areas like Nodaway County. Resources are limited and often unaffordable even when they are available.
Addressing such issues is a concern for Dr. Phil Graham, a Bethany-based psychologist who maintains a part-time office in Maryville. Graham said Thursday he sees too great a disparity in the way mental health care is made available to those who need it.
"For the very rural areas, they're just lost," Graham said. " "There are people without the means to get help, they have no money, no transportation, and very few resources."
The rates of depression in rural areas tend to significantly exceed those in urban areas, and higher rates of suicide exist for teens and older adults in rural areas according to the Office of Rural Health Policy, a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
"The most prevalent issue is abuse," Graham explained. "It is rampant. I see physical, verbal and sexual abuse issues in both children and adults. It's what I have seen most throughout my career."
Factors limiting access to mental health care in rural America include a lack of affordable insurance coverage.
“Private health insurance has not kept up with the mental health needs of individuals across the board," Graham said. “It's uneven, it changes from plan to plan, it shouldn't be that way.”
Individuals who qualify for Medicaid are better off in terms of mental health care coverage than many rural Americans who purchase their health insurance from the private sector, Graham said. Medicaid is the largest payer of mental health services in the United States, accounting for 26 percent of total national mental health care spending.
And unlike many private insurers, Medicaid covers mental health services that are delivered in the home, school, or workplace.
"Education should play a vital role in prevention," said Graham. "Education and prevention can save a lot of lives."
Oct. 2-8 is National Mental Illness Awareness Week. During the month of October, informational displays on mental illness and mental health care resources are located at the Maryville Community Center, Maryville Public Library, the Nodaway County Senior Center and St. Francis Hospital & Health Services.
