Mental Health Facts

Mental health counseling provides a safe, objective, and confidential space where clients can talk about their concerns and take an active role in their treatment. The average client receiving psychotherapy is better off than 79% of clients who do not seek treatment (Smith and Glass, 1977; Wampold and Imel, 2015).

There are several barriers to receiving mental health care, including access to mental health providers, the financial costs of health care, and the stigma of mental illness.

To address these mental health barriers, Samaritan Counseling Center Hawai’i created the Client Assistance Fund (CAF), which subsidizes mental health counseling for uninsured, underinsured, elderly, and low-income clients. We are committed to accepting all clients, regardless of their ability to pay, while ensuring that counselors are reasonably reimbursed for their services.

Maui Wildfires Impact on Mental Health

  • From July 2022 to August 2024, call rates to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline rose 41% following the Maui wildfires, while in-state answer rates dropped from 90.3% to 77.2%, straining an already overextended mental health response system on Maui (University of Hawai’i Maui LOA study 2024).
  • Wildfires and other natural disasters can lead to “a significant rise in the prevalence of post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD), depression, and anxiety disorders, both immediately after the disaster and often years later. Such mental health effects can also trigger physiological damage to hormone regulation, the heart, and the brain.” (After the Maui wildfires: The road ahead 8/31/23)
  • “It is crucial to recognize that the disaster’s impact extends beyond Lahaina’s residents. People in other parts of Maui County may also face direct and indirect health impacts. These range from emotional stress to strained healthcare capacity.” (After the Maui wildfires: The road ahead 8/31/23)
  • Resource: State of Hawai’i, Department of Health’s Maui Wildfire Response.
  • Resource: Hawai’i Cares’ Hawai’i Wildfire Recovery & Resilience Resource Guide.

COVID-19 Impact on Mental Health

  • 38% of people in Hawai’i report worsening mental health since the beginning of the pandemic (Community First 2022)
  • 51% higher emergency room visits for suspected suicide attempts for adolescent girls in early 2021; and 4% higher for adolescent boys, compared to the same time period in 2019 (Surgeon General Youth Mental Health Advisory 2021)
  • 46% increase in people in Hawaii seeking help from domestic violence during the COVID-19 crisis, and 22% increase in provision of legal information to domestic violence survivors, from late March to October 2, 2020 (Domestic Violence Action Center)

Mental Health Facts about Adults

  • 17.86% of Hawaii adults are experiencing a mental illness, yet 69.1% are receiving no treatment (The State of Mental Health in America, 2023)
  • 31% of Americans have worried about others judging them for seeking mental health treatment (America’s Mental Health 2018)
  • 34% of Americans report that cost is the primary barrier to getting mental health services (America’s Mental Health 2018)
  • 45% of Americans reported that a therapist was not accepting new clients (National Alliance on Mental Illness 2016)
  • Suicide is the second leading cause of death among adults ages 25-34 and the fourth leading cause of death among adults ages 35-44 and ages 45-54 (Centers for Disease Control 2016)
  • Financial need: 13.1% of women and 13% of men age 18+ in Hawaii live in poverty (Status of Women in the States 2018)

Mental Health Facts about Youth

  • 57% of girls and 29% of boys in high school experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness during the past year (CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2011-2021)
  • 22% of high school students seriously considered suicide during the past year (CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2011-2021)
  • 34.8% of high school students in Hawaii experienced depression that lasted two weeks or more during the past year (Hawaii Health Data Warehouse 2023)
  • 25.8% of middle school students in Hawaii report they have ever hurt themselves on purpose (Hawaii Health Data Warehouse 2023)
  • 18.36% of Hawaii youth experienced at least one major depressive episode in the past year, yet 74.9% do not receive any mental health treatment (The State of Mental Health in America, 2023)
  • 32% of Native Hawaiian high school students statewide have experienced depression (Hawaii Business Magazine “Health in Hawaii” 2019)
  • 39.7% of Hawaii street youth had suicidal thoughts, and 58.3% had attempted suicide (Street Youth Study 2018)
  • 49.7% of those in crisis in Hawaii who texted the Crisis Text Hotline were youth ages 17 or younger, August 2013-December 2019 (Everybody Hurts 2020)
  • Suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth ages 10-14 and young adults ages 15-24 in the US (Centers for Disease Control 2016)
  • 45% of Hawaii youth are living at least 300% below the poverty income line, and studies show that children who are born into homelessness and poverty start dropping out of school in the 4th grade (Project Hawaii)

Mental Health Facts about LGBTQ Youth

  • 69% of LGBQ+ high school experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness during the past year (CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2011-2021)
  • 45% of LGBTQ respondents ages 13-24 seriously considered attempting suicide in the past 12 months, with more than half of transgender and nonbinary youth having seriously considered suicide — up from 40% in 2020 (The Trevor Project 2022)
  • 73% LGBTQ youth ages 13-24 reported symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder in the past two weeks — up from 68% in 2020 (The Trevor Project 2022)
  • 60% of LGBTQ youth ages 13-24 report they wanted psychological or emotional counseling from a mental health professional but were unable to receive it in the past 12 months — up from 46% in 2020 (The Trevor Project 2022)
  • 45.6% of Hawaii transgender youth in high school felt sad or hopeless for two or more weeks in the past year (Hawaii Sexual and Gender Minority Health Report 2018)
  • 46.4% of Hawaii transgender youth in high school seriously considered suicide in the past year and 50.2% attempted suicide one or more times in the past year (Hawaii Sexual and Gender Minority Health Report 2018)

Mental Health Facts about Women

  • Women are two times as likely as men to suffer from depression (World Health Organization)
  • 85% of domestic violence victims are women (Bureau of Justice Statistics 1993-2001)
  • Women are three times as likely to be a victim of domestic violence (Centers for Disease Control 2010)
  • 40% – 61% of Asian women report experiencing domestic violence, as compared to 20% for White, African-American and Latino communities (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence)
  • Financial need: 29.6% of employed women in Hawaii work in low-wage jobs; and women earn 82 cents for every dollar a man earns (Status of Women in the States 2020)

Mental Health Facts about Seniors

  • Over 20% of seniors experience mental health concerns that are not a normal part of aging (American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry)
  • For 80% of these seniors, their depressive symptoms are a treatable condition (American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry)
  • Almost 25% of seniors ages 65+ who live in community settings are socially isolated, with few social relationships or infrequent contact with others; and 43% of adults ages 60+ report feeling lonely (The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2020)

Mental Health Facts about Clergy

  • 8.7% of clergy reported experiencing depression and 13.5% of clergy reported experiencing anxiety (Clergy Health Initiative 2008)
  • 49% of church leaders are not finding time for personal spiritual development (State of the Church 2020)
  • 38% of pastors indicate they have considered quitting full-time ministry within the past year (State of Pastors 2021)
  • 70% of pastors do not feel well-equipped to help congregants deal with matters of mental or emotional health (State of the Church 2020)
  • 35% of Evangelical and Reformed pastors battle depression and 43% are overstressed (Statistics on Pastors 2016)

If you or someone you know is in suicidal crisis or emotional distress, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255).

If you need someone to talk to, please call to make an appointment with a licensed counselor from Samaritan Counseling Center Hawai’i at 808-545-2740.