Suicide is the tenth-leading cause of death in the United States and the fourth-leading cause of death for adolescents ages 15-19, according to The United Health Foundation.
Here in Georgia, nearly 70 people under the age of 18 killed themselves in 2021. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation reports that’s a 55% increase over the year before.
Georgia ranks 48th in the country for mental health service, according to the non-profit Mental Health America. Recently, House Speaker David Ralston proposed an overhaul of the state’s mental healthcare system that includes requiring pay parity for mental health services.
Dr. Saundra Maass-Robinson has provided psychiatric care for patients in the Atlanta area for more than 30 years. She says improving access to mental healthcare is one of the critical areas that lawmakers need to emphasize.
“I’ve been practicing psychiatry here in Georgia for a very long time, and the frustrations that I hear are that people cannot get an appointment,” said Maass-Robinson. “They cannot get in to see a psychiatrist, they cannot access therapy. And then insurance becomes a big issue. The insurance has never provided parity for mental health conditions as it has for physical health conditions.”
