What Americans Think About Mental Health: A Wake-Up Call from the APA

What do Americans think about mental health today?

According to a recent American Psychological Association (APA) report, the answer is complicated.

The APA’s Mental Health and Wellness Poll offers a powerful snapshot of how people across the U.S. view therapy, emotional well-being, stigma, and the systems that support (or fail to support) mental health. For those working at the intersection of healthcare and psychology, this report is not just data but an urgent call to action. This blog highlights key findings from the APA report and delves into their implications. It reflects on how creative, embodied, and relational practices can be crucial in addressing the current mental health landscape and supporting those in need.

1. Mental Health Is Now Mainstream, But Support Systems Haven’t Kept Up

According to the APA, 80% of adults believe mental health is just as important as physical health. That is a significant shift from decades past when therapy was often shrouded in shame and secrecy.

But despite increasing acceptance, nearly 1 in 5 Americans said they wanted mental health care in the past year and did not get it. The reasons? Cost, access, and barriers due to insurance.

Our Reflection:

In the Creativity and Madness community, we often talk about systems: internal systems, social systems, and the invisible structures that shape personal experience. This data reminds us that transformation is not just personal — it must be collective.

2. Shame and Stigma Linger

Of the Americans polled, 70% say they would not judge someone for seeking therapy. That is the good news.

The not-so-good news? Many still carry internalized stigma and feel shame about their emotional struggles, especially struggles around depression, anxiety, and trauma.

Why this matters for creatives:

Shame Dies in the Light

Art can help people break the silence and bring their experiences to light. Storytelling, visual expression, movement, and sound all offer ways to rewrite personal narratives and metabolize and release shame. As healers, artists, and good humans, we can create brave spaces where people reclaim dignity and receive support through creativity.

3. Burnout and Stress Are at All-Time Highs

The poll also highlights something you likely feel: people are exhausted. Burnout is rampant. Healthcare professionals, support staff, teachers, parents, and students are overwhelmed. Chronic stress is normalized.

Our response:

At Creativity and Madness, we believe burnout results from being overwhelmed AND disconnected from meaning, joy, embodiment, and creative flow. For these reasons, we focus on creativity as medicine, and our conferences emphasize education and restoration.

4. Creative Work Is Mental Health Work

The APA’s findings underline what we already know: emotional well-being is complex and shaped by trauma, inequity, relationships, and having a sense of meaning and purpose. Traditional talk therapy is powerful, but it is not the only path.

That’s where creative practice enters.

Whether through visual art, narrative, movement, ritual, or performance, creativity opens access to the inner world in a way that transcends words. The creative process allows for integration, play, connection, and even joy amid struggle. This potential of creative practices should inspire us all.

As a community of healers, clinicians, artists, healers, and curious humans, we can respond to this cultural moment not with more diagnoses but with more imagination.

5. Where Do We Go From Here?

This poll from the APA is not just a report; it is a mirror. This report reminds us that our work matters and that more healthy healers are required!

So what can you do?

Trust in your heart and continue offering healing. You and your work are essential and integral to the cause!

Trust in the healing power of art, community, and creative expression. There is strength in numbers!

Create spaces where emotion, expression, and authenticity are welcome and honored.

And if you’re feeling burned out or disheartened, don’t forget: you are not alone. Join us, and together, we will rise. 

by Dr. Amy Vail and Alli Fischenich