Getting Treatment

One out of five people in America has a mental illness (more than two million Ohioans), yet less than one-third of affected adults and one-half of children receive treatment. Without treatment, the consequences of mental illness for the individual and society are staggering: unnecessary disability, unemployment, substance abuse, homelessness, inappropriate incarceration and wasted lives. The economic cost of untreated mental illness is more than $100 billion each year in the United States.

The good news about mental illness is that recovery is possible. Early identification and treatment is of vital importance. Most people diagnosed with a serious mental illness can experience relief from their symptoms by actively participating in an individual treatment plan. Society stands to gain from making the same commitment to mental health treatment that it makes to other medical conditions. Recovery and resiliency enable adults and children with serious mental illness to recover and live, work and participate fully in their communities.

Finding the necessary treatment and support is essential in helping people move forward in their journeys toward recovery. Ohio’s public mental health system includes approximately 500 community mental health agencies. To find a list of certified and licensed providers in your region:

Another place to access a wide variety of important information is Network of Care, which includes the following resources: a comprehensive service directory; links to pertinent web sites from across the nation; an easy-to-use library; a political advocacy tool and community message boards.