For too many people seeking behavioral health support, the first step toward care can feel like a dead end. A referral that leads nowhere. A waitlist that stretches for months. A new provider who asks them to recount their story again and again, each retelling reopening wounds at the very moment they are seeking relief.
This is the reality of a system that remains deeply fragmented. Prior authorization requirements delay care when time matters most. Behavioral health, segmented under managed care structures, rarely connects to the broader treatment picture. Workforce shortages prolong wait times. And when a patient finally manages to seek help, they are handed a maze to navigate alone.
The numbers reflect these problems: In 2024, 53% of psychologists did not have openings for new patients and 61% did not provide a waitlist. Among respondents with a waitlist, more than 73% reported that the average patient waits up to three months for an appointment. The emotional toll on care seekers is profound, requiring them to navigate a complex healthcare system while also advocating for themselves when they may have the least capacity to do so.
And yet, a paradox sits at the center of behavioral health today. We have built more infrastructure, garnered more awareness, seen more innovation, and attracted greater policy attention across the continuum of care than ever before. Still, for many, the experience feels just as disconnected. This tension between what has been built and what people actually experience puts the behavioral health ecosystem at risk of stalling.
Progress We’ve Made So Far
First, we cannot diminish what’s been built. There has been real, meaningful progress made over the last several decades. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, launched just four years ago and propelled by nonprofit advocacy, has expanded awareness of crisis support, reduced stigma, and driven policy attention at both the state and federal levels. Legislatures across the country are acknowledging behavioral health needs and actively engaging with solutions. State-level funding for 988-related legislation has continuously grown year-over-year, and policymakers are exploring new funding models, such as telecom fees and dedicated trust funds, to sustain and strengthen crisis infrastructure. So far this year, at least nineteen states have considered legislation related to mental health safety and AI chatbots — compared to approximately zero in 2025 — and six of these were enacted.
The momentum continues beyond crisis care. States are increasingly addressing the role of digital environments and technologies, including AI safety and transparency, in shaping youth mental health. At the same time, policymakers are also strengthening the behavioral health workforce pipeline. New York’s Mental Health Educational Opportunity Program supports economically disadvantaged students from undergraduate through graduate training to attain licensure as mental health professionals. Cities are investing earlier too, expanding Mental Health First Aid programs and community-based centers. Together, these efforts reflect a growing recognition that behavioral health care must extend beyond clinical settings and into communities.
These are exciting shifts. They signal real movement across the behavioral health ecosystem. We are not starting from zero, but we also are not where we need to be.
Where We Must Go Next
Progress on paper doesn’t always translate into practice. For many care seekers, these advancements can still feel disconnected from their day-to-day experience of care. Expanded programs, new legislation, and growing awareness are critical — but without coordinated execution, they risk operating in parallel rather than as part of a connected ecosystem. Achieving that coordination requires action from every part of the behavioral health ecosystem, including policymakers, providers, payers, community organizations, advocates, and organizations like Vibrant Emotional Health that help connect individuals to care.
Too often, we wait for ideal models, perfectly integrated systems, and fully aligned incentives before scaling what we know already works. That structural friction is what turns good policy into delayed care. Take step therapy, or “fail-first” requirements, for example: a psychiatrist prescribes a modern antidepressant tailored to a patient’s needs, but the insurer requires the patient to first fail on older alternatives, which often requires months of side effects or no relief, before accessing the treatment that was right to begin with. In fact, a 2023 poll from the Patient Advocate Foundation (PAN) found that 55% of adults required to “fail first” reported the policy delayed their access to the originally prescribed medication by up to 11 weeks. These barriers are not a reflection of insufficient innovation. They reflect misalignment across the behavioral health system and a collective inability to move proven solutions to scale with the urgency the moment requires.
The cost of inaction shows worsening outcomes, missed opportunities, and compounding effects of untreated behavioral health conditions. Untreated and undertreated mental health conditions are one contributor to a broader $477.5 billion annual economic burden from mental health inequities, driven by lost productivity, avoidable healthcare spend, and premature death. As the needs of communities continue to evolve, the system must evolve with greater speed and coordination.
Turning Momentum into Action
So, what does progress look like in action? The first step is to prioritize scaling proven models rather than endlessly refining them. Community-based care, youth-focused interventions, and crisis response systems like the 988 Lifeline have already demonstrated impact. The economic case for scaling treatment is also well established. For instance, a WHO-led global study suggests that every $1 invested in scaled-up treatment for depression and anxiety yields about $4 in improved health and productivity. The opportunity now is to expand access, replicate success across geographies, and ensure these services are integrated into broader care pathways.
The second is to reduce friction across the system by simplifying access to care, aligning incentives among payers and providers, and addressing policies that create unnecessary barriers. This also requires examining our own processes to ensure they support, rather than complicate, the help-seeking journey. Ultimately, success should be measured not by whether policies exist, but by whether they improve access and outcomes for the people they are designed to serve.
And finally, we must begin to view policy as a strong enabler. Legislation and funding are essential, but they are the starting point, not the finish line. The responsibility for turning policy into meaningful outcomes rests with all of us who shape, deliver, fund, support, and advocate for behavioral health services. The true measure of progress is whether individuals can access timely, effective care without unnecessary barriers.
We must solve issues like fragmentation together. Policymakers, healthcare leaders, payers, technology companies, community organizations, and behavioral health providers each hold part of the solution. We all have a responsibility to examine how our own systems, processes, and partnerships either accelerate or impede access to care. This is a moment that demands shared accountability, a willingness to challenge our own assumptions, and a commitment to moving beyond siloed efforts toward collective action.
The future of behavioral health transformation will not come from identifying what is broken. We know what is broken. The challenge now is for all of us to move with intention: to scale what works, remove what doesn’t, hold ourselves accountable for advancing solutions, and refuse to let the pursuit of perfection stand in the way of meaningful progress.
Dr. Cara McNulty is Chief Executive Officer of Vibrant Emotional Health.
Sources
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Deehr, J. (2026, March 9). Legislative Snapshot: Suicide Prevention Infrastructure and AI Chatbots. Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. https://www.astho.org/communications/blog/2026/legislative-snapshot-suicide-prevention-infrastructure-and-ai-chatbots
GAO. (2026, Feb 25). Behavioral Health: Reported Funding for COVID-19 and 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, 2020-2025. U.S. Government Accountability Office. https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-26-107915
PAN Foundation. (2023, December). Patient experience with step therapy: Polling results. https://www.panfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Patient-experience-with-step-therapypolling-resultsDecember-2023.pdf
Patel, A. (2025, April 4). Unwell and unproductive: The economic toll of America’s mental health crisis. Michigan Journal of Economics. https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/mje/2025/04/04/unwell-and-unproductive-the-economic-toll-of-americas-mental-health-crisis/
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