Voters Sound Alarm on Mental Health System Failure in New National Poll

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and a new national poll shows voters across the political spectrum are very aware the system is failing people with serious mental illness (SMI) and they want policymakers to act.  An overwhelming majority believe it is a critically important issue that could affect their votes this fall.

The poll conducted for Schizophrenia Policy Action Network (SPAN) found elected officials would be well advised to address this major concern.

This poll was conducted in April 2026 by two highly respected firms covering both sides of the aisle (Public Opinion Strategies and Lake Research Partners). They polled 1,000 randomly selected voters (NATL), evenly split between Democrat and republican. A second group of 491 families and individuals (FAM) were interviewed who have direct experience dealing with schizophrenia and SMI through a personal diagnosis, or as caregivers. Schizophrenia is brain based mental illness typically emerging during adolescence and early adulthood, and is marked by delusions, hallucinations, lack of insight, cognitive deficits and flattened emotional expression.

Key findings include:

• 86 percent of NATL and 95 percent of FAM respondents report mental health care is extremely or very important.
• Only 18 percent NATL and 6 percent FAM rate the availability of the country’s mental health our country’s mental health services positively.
• 89 percent NATL and 98 percent FAM view mental health care as a basic human need that should be accessible.
• By extremely wide margins (80 percent and 88 percent) both groups believe serious mental illness can be effectively treated
• Respondents cite costs, insurance gaps, waitlists, workforce shortages and lack of early intervention as primary barriers.
• 34 percent of FAM respondents reported they were unable to get care during the past year.
• When a mental health crisis was experienced, 75 percent of the Fam group sought care in a hospital emergency room, and 51 percent from law enforcement (51 percent)
• 77 percent NATL and 90 percent FAM groups believe the federal government spends too little to help with SMI.
• 77 percent NATL and 90 percent FAM support increasing federal funding to treat serious mental illness even if it meant paying higher taxes.

Why This Matters Politically

Overwhelmingly, 78 percent of the NATL and 97 percent of FAM groups said they will more likely vote for a candidate who prioritizes mental health care.

With only 1.2 percent of the population diagnosed with schizophrenia, why should any of this matter? Because 51 percent of the NATL sample said they were diagnosed/caregivers/friends or family of someone with schizophrenia. That is a voting block not to be ignored.

Sadly, only 26 percent of the millions with schizophrenia receive even minimally adequate treatment. In the U.S., most wait 1-2 years  for treatment after symptoms first appear. When untreated, complications impair physical health, disrupt employment or school, and lead to homelessness, incarceration, and long-term disability.  The annual cost of not caring for schizophrenia is a staggering $366.8 billion according to a study conducted by Schizophrenia and Psychosis Action Alliance.

In addition to the compelling polling and cost data, the social impact is enormous. Sixty seven percent of unhoused individuals live with serious mental illness. We cannot even make a dent in solving the homeless problem in the USA if we do not address mental illness. Tents, blankets, and soup kitchens are not treatment.

Crime and violence often get the attention of policy makers. While most with schizophrenia are not violent, untreated serious mental illness increases the risk of crisis level interactions including law enforcement. These outcomes are strongly associated with the lack of access to treatment, not the diagnosis itself. As such, those with inadequate treatment are 4-7 times more likely to commit violent crimes and display aggressive behavior compared to the general population. About 10 percent-23 percent of this population engage in violent behaviors during their lifetime. A UK study reported almost all with schizophrenia who engaged in violence were not in treatment. Bottom line: our failure to treat and sustain effective treatment for serious mental illness early is our shared responsibility.

This poll reflects the frustrations families experience in getting care for the most seriously ill. Many states require a person to commit a crime or become gravely ill before they are court mandated for care. Bethany Yeiser, developed schizophrenia as a young adult. For three years she slept almost every night behind a few thick bushes at a local church, in danger of being assaulted or trafficked.

“Looking back I ask, why was I not helped sooner? Due to untreated schizophrenia, I could not work, could not take care of myself, was very dirty and rarely showered. I preferred eating garbage over asking for food from shelters. Due to my illness, I was entirely incapable of asking for help. I wish I had been mandated to begin treatment as soon as I began sleeping outside.” (Bethany is now president of the CURESZ foundation where she advocates for better care.)

Other families experienced tragic results from absent care. Many have made national news.  For example, while their families struggled to find care, the parents of Austin Graham, and Jonathan Turk were murdered. The families of DeCarlos Brown, and Naomi Guzman also unsuccessfully petitioned the courts to order treatment.  They were allowed into the community to self-supervise their care. Brown is charged with the stabbing murder of Irena Zarutska on a train in Charlotte, NC. Guzman was shot by police as she stabbed a three-year-old boy. These tragedies are not just caused by lenient judges who will not mandate care for the most gravely ill with histories of violence. The system is failing on so many levels that there really is no coherent system.

Since 1965 federal Medicaid regulations limited the number of psychiatric beds in a hospital to only 16. There is a massive shortage of places for long term treatment and stabilization.

The use of Medicaid and Medicare to pay for care for those with SMI is a complex morass of bureaucracy that is very difficult for persons with severe mental illness to navigate. For example, when a person is jailed, they lose Medicaid coverage. Most people with schizophrenia do not get the care they need when incarcerated. After release to the community, they likely have no medications, and no follow up support. Also, there are multiple problems with social security supplemental income, Medicaid, and Medicare beyond the scope of this article. Suffice it to say, it’s a mess. It is no wonder that voters are looking for candidates willing to make changes.

Congress would do well to hold hearings to explore what must be done to remove the many barriers to treatment, expand coverage and reimbursement for care,  increase the number of inpatient beds, require follow up and close supervision for the most gravely ill, build facilities for long term inpatient care for those with a history of violence and poor treatment compliance, and strengthen accountability for states use of Medicaid and Medicare funds.

The voters clearly want care before a crisis. The question is whether policymakers will act. My advice to elected officials and candidates is this:  If you seek voter attention: talk about it. If you want voters to believe you want to make a difference then do something about it. The costs to families, lives, finances, and human dignity are too extreme to ignore.

READ MORE from Tim Murphy:

The Enormous Cost of Failing to Treat Schizophrenia

Make America Mentally Healthy (Again)

Before the Bullet: Was Crooks a Victim of America’s Mental Health Crisis?

Tim Murphy, Ph.D., is a psychologist, board chairman of the Schizophrenia Policy Action Network (SPAN) and the author of three books, including The Christ Cure: 10 Biblical Ways to Heal from Trauma, Tragedy and PTSD (2023). He served in the U.S. Navy Medical Service Corps, was elected eight times to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he authored major mental health reform legislation receiving wide bipartisan support.  DrTimMurphy.com and LinkedIn.