APA poll: Democrats, Republicans agree treatment more effective than punishment
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SAN DIEGO — Recent poll results presented here shed light on Americans’ opinions on the opioid crisis, anxiety and mental health care and showed similarities between Republicans and Democrats regarding these topics.
To assess Americans’ views on the opioid crisis, anxiety and mental health care, the APA sponsored an online poll that surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,019 adults from April 20-23, 2017.
Overall, more than one-quarter of participants and one-third of millennials reported knowing someone addicted to opioids or prescription opioids.
Sixty-nine percent of participants reported they understood “how someone accidentally gets addicted to opioids.”
Approximately 39% of participants and 46% of millennials reported it would be extremely or somewhat easy to access illegal opioids.
The majority of participants reported it is bad to take a prescription drug without a prescription; however, attitudes differed among generations.
Ten percent of baby boomers reported taking a prescription drug without a prescription “is not that bad;” 14% of Generation Xers said it “is not bad;” and 18% of millennials said it “is not that bad” to take a prescription drug without a prescription.
Three out of four participants reported recovery from opioid addiction is possible. Among participants who knew an individual with opioid addiction, 80% reported recovery is possible.
Twenty percent of participants reported the country was headed in the right direction regarding addressing the opioid crisis; 58% believe policymakers should prioritize access treatment over stricter punishment (26%).
Approximately half of Republicans (51%) reported treatment access should be prioritized, while 34% reported punishment should be prioritized.
Among Democrats, 67% reported treatment access should be prioritized, while 18% reported punishment should be.
“Our poll findings show that Americans are aware of the problem of opioid addiction, believe people can recover and want to see an emphasis on making treatment available,” Saul Levin, MD, MPA, CEO and medical director of the APA, said in a press release. “APA has long been involved in educating psychiatrists about addiction treatment, including medication assisted treatment, and providing opportunities for medical students and residents for learning about addiction psychiatry. The number of young people, one in five, who believe it’s ok to share prescriptions is troubling.”
Anxiety
Participants were asked to rate their anxiety on health, safety, finances, relationships, and politics.
Approximately two-thirds of participants were extremely or somewhat anxious about health and safety for themselves or their families, while more than one-third were more anxious overall than last year.
Anxiety levels were higher among blacks and Hispanics, compared with whites, and they were more likely to report extreme anxiety about their health (38% and 31% vs. 15%).
Participants receiving Medicaid reported more anxiety than those with private health care.
Men and women had comparable levels of anxiety.
Millennials were more likely to report anxiety in the past year, compared with baby boomers (41% vs. 32%).
More than half of the cohort felt somewhat or extremely anxious about finances and politics in the past year.
Anxiety levels were similar among Democrats, Republicans and Independents; however, more Democrats reported increasing anxiety in the past year, compared with Republicans (44% vs. 29%).
“Stress and anxiety can take a major toll on a person’s health and mental health. This poll gives us some insight to the level of concern among U.S. adults and what people are concerned about,” APA President Maria A. Oquendo, MD, PhD, said in the release. “Our poll findings show that health and safety are primary concerns for most Americans and even more so for people of color and for millennials. Having access to quality affordable health and mental health care is important for all Americans.”
Mental health care
The majority of participants reported mental health care should be covered through private health insurance offered by an employer or union, including 76% of Democrats and 81% of Republicans.
More than half of the cohort reported mental health care should be covered by all types of insurance, including individually purchased insurance, insurance through the Health Care Exchange of Marketplace, Medicaid and Medicare, and other government provided programs.
Democrats and Republicans felt similarly on this, with approximately half reporting they felt this way.
Baby boomers were more likely to support mental health coverage than millennials.
More than one-quarter of participants reported they did not know about their mental health coverage. This was fairly consistent regardless of age, income, race/ethnicity, and political affiliation.
Less than half of the cohort reported they knew how to access mental health care. Women were more likely to report knowing how to access care (50% vs. 37%).
Sixty-nine percent of participants reported they did not think Congress prioritized mental health.
“We’ve made progress in recent years with improving and expanding mental health coverage, but the American Health Care Act (AHCA) passed by the House will reverse much of that progress,” Levin said in the release. “The AHCA will remove insurance coverage from millions of Americans and roll back Medicaid expansion that occurred under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), potentially reducing access to care for the 1.3 million Americans with serious mental illness and the 2.8 million Americans with substance use disorders.” – by Amanda Oldt
Reference:
American Psychiatric Association. APA mental health care survey. Presented at: American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting; May 20-24, 2017; San Diego.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.