Over 61 million U.S. adults experienced mental illness in 2024 (latest data available), with persistently high rates of depression, anxiety, suicide, gun violence, and drug overdose deaths. While the COVID-19 pandemic intensified existing mental health and substance use crises, access barriers remain significant—43% of insured adults with fair or poor mental health reported unmet needs in the past year, with older Americans facing many obstacles to access care.
Charting the Course of Artificial Intelligence, Mental Health, and Aging in America
By Mike O’Donnell, Chair, National Coalition on Mental Health and Aging When I started doing research on this topic, the media was buzzing with doomsday
NCMHA
November 1, 2026