Mental Health System Lacks Adequate Access And Capacity

The Challenge: Contributors described long waits, limited capacity, and difficulty navigating the mental health system for both children and adults. What do New Hampshire residents think? Contributors described a mental health system that is overwhelmed and difficult to navigate. One contributor wrote: “The mental health system in the state of NH is by far extremely broken. Individuals, both children and adults, are waiting in emergency rooms for days (sometimes weeks) at a time for a bed at a mental health setting. Access to appropriate mental health care is scarce and the system can be quite difficult to navigate.” Another tied mental health to other pressing issues: “Mental health and affordable housing are first priority. All affect each other in one way or another.” Across responses, contributors described mental health care as a system that is difficult to access in a timely way, and one that affects — and is affected by — housing, employment, and broader community wellbeing.