The growing burden of mental illness is alarming. Rates of depression and anxiety among adolescents are rising rapidly, and suicide has increased by more than 30% across all age groups. In 2011, one in four teen girls reported seriously considering suicide; recent years have also seen more than 100,000 overdose deaths annually. At the same time, social connection is weakening and many communities are losing a shared sense of purpose—factors that worsen mental health and limit people’s ability to cope.

A public health approach is urgently needed. The nation faces a serious shortage of mental health providers, and policy shortcomings have stymied workforce development and training. Insurance coverage for mental health care is often inadequate, and parity laws are inconsistently enforced, leading many psychiatrists to opt out of insurance networks. That combination makes effective, affordable care difficult to access. As a consequence, responsibility for complex mental health needs frequently falls to providers who may not have the specialized training or resources to deliver appropriate treatment.