Health Services Utilization Mental Health Care Utilization In
2004, an estimated 27.5 million U.S. adults reported receiving
mental health treatment in the past year. Women represented more
than two-thirds of users of mental health services. The most
common type of treatment obtained by adults was prescription
medication, followed by outpatient treatment. Nearly 15.5
million women used prescription medication for treatment of a
mental or emotional condition. While this is still twice the
number of men (7.1 million) who received similar treatment, it
represents a 1 million decline from 2003, when 16.5 million
adult women used prescription medication for treatment of a
mental or emotional condition. Mental health services are
needed, but not received, by millions of adults in this country.
Those with serious psychological distress are in particular need
of services. In 2004, of the 13.4 million women aged 18 or older
who reported having serious psychological distress in the past
year, nearly one-half (6.4 milli