The trend: Nearly 60% of Americans say mental health has become more important to them over the past five years, but just 47% have ever received professional mental health care, down from 50% last year, according to Rula’s April “2026 State of Mental Health” report.

Why it matters: Growing mental health awareness isn’t translating to greater uptake of mental health care—concerns like cost, education, and access remain barriers.

• 41% cite cost as a reason for not accessing mental health care, up from 25% last year, per Rula’s survey of more than 2,000 adults conducted by Propeller Insights.
• 37% say they lack the right resources to determine what kind of therapy would be most helpful.
• 19% say not being able to find the right therapist is an issue to getting care.

Meanwhile, systemic barriers continue to bottle-neck actual treatment and strain the broader health system. Emergency departments and primary care physicians are treating more people in mental health crises. Lower reimbursement rates for behavioral health can limit provider supply and access. Behavioral health reimbursements are, on average, 16% to 59% less than rates for physical health, according to the American Medical Association and partners’ Mental Health Parity Index.

Implications for healthcare providers and systems: As access issues persist, providers and health systems will face growing pressure to embed behavioral health services into everyday care. Providers are increasingly looking to AI to help address some of the barriers to mental health care. But it cannot be used as replacement for therapy—more than half (53%) of consumers prefer human-only solutions for mental health. Integrated AI, overseen by medical professionals, can help patients understand what care they need, reduce friction and costs to get started, and monitor changes over time.

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