Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute Releases Key Findings from Texas Mental Health Survey

More than half of all Texans surveyed have been impacted by mental health issues either at home or at work. The Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute issued these and other important findings today. The mental health survey, conducted among randomly selected Texas voters by Baselice and Associates, Inc., was done to measure the awareness and knowledge of mental health among Texans; to gauge if more or less attention or more or less spending should be directed toward mental health issues in Texas; and to measure the correlation of attitudinal statements on the level of attention or resources that should be directed toward mental health issues.

The key findings indicate that among the Texas voters surveyed:

• 76 percent of Texans have a friend or family member that have experienced a mental health issue
• 9 in 10 Texans believe it is harder for people to talk about a mental health condition or situation than a physical health issue
• 67 percent of Texans believe that more state and local dollars should be spent addressing mental health.
• 31 percent of Texans would not know where to go if they or a family member needed help with a mental health condition.
• 33 percent of Texans would consider a career as a mental health professional

The mission of the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute is to identify and encourage the implementation of mental health policies and practices that enable Texans to get help when and where they need it. A critical step toward this mission is understanding the current mental health landscape of Texas, which is why we fielded this survey.

Tom Luce, CEO, Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute

The results of the survey were announced during a webinar presentation. The Meadows Institute also announced that based on conversations with key stakeholders and the responses received from Texans in this survey, they have established five key principles to guide their work:

1. Texans deserve behavioral health care that is accessible, understandable, efficient, and effective.
2. The State of Texas and its agencies must be accountable to taxpayers for the performance of its behavioral health systems.
3. Behavioral health care is best delivered through local systems that are held accountable for results and able to work collaboratively to help Texans in need.
4. Performance evaluation of the behavioral health system must be continuous, outcome focused and driven by meaningful data.
5. A skilled and robust behavioral health care workforce is essential to improve the wellness of Texans.

The survey was conducted over the telephone in August 2014, among randomly selected Texas voters. A similar survey was conducted in June 2014; some of those key findings were incorporated into today’s presentation. Key findings were divided into three categories:

Personal Familiarity with Mental Health Related Issues – The responses to several questions reveal how prevalent mental health situations are in respondents’ lives.

Assessing Involvement Regarding Mental Health Related Issues – Respondents believe a better job can be done, more resources should be applied to addressing mental health issues, and that there is an appropriate role for government in addressing mental health needs.

Talking about Mental Health Related Issues – Respondents have a more difficult time discussing mental health care issues than physical health issues.

To view the webinar in its entirety, or for more information on the results of this survey, please visit texasstateofmind.org after February 2.

Click here to view this press release in PDF format