Comptroller's report: Mental illness increased as available psychiatric beds decreased

Mar. 29—STATE CAPITOL — Mental illness has increased in nearly one quarter of all New York adults since 2013 while the state has also seen a more than 10% decrease in inpatient psychiatric facility beds, a new state report finds.

A report released by state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli's office found that between 2013 and 2022 there was a 23% increase in the number of people served by the state's mental health system, totaling nearly 900,000 residents seeking help. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic alone, there was an increase of 21.1% of adults struggling with mental illness and an increase of 5.1% of adults struggling with severe mental illness in 2021-22.

"Increased mental health services are urgently needed to meet the rising demand for care," DiNapoli said in a statement. "With the COVID pandemic behind us, New York must redouble its efforts to restore inpatient psychiatric bed capacity and preserve and expand telehealth services."

New York is not alone in battling this issue. A 2022 report by the World Health Organization (WHO) found there was a 25% increase globally of anxiety and depression following the pandemic. The increase in mental illness is attributed to the stress caused by social isolation.

The report found incidences of mental illness were especially high among 18- to 25-year olds, with a 30% increase. A lack of mental health therapists has also led to sometimes months-long wait times to be seen by a mental health provider.

Meanwhile, between April 2014 and December 2023, there was a 10.5% drop in capacity at inpatient psychiatric facilities statewide, totalling a loss of 990 beds. Last December, state data showed there were 3,999 inpatient psychiatric beds in New York City and 4,458 in the rest of the state. A state Office of Mental Health report found counties with the greatest number of psychiatric beds are largely located downstate.

The report found — as of December — there were no psychiatric inpatient beds in Fulton and Schoharie counties. There were 20 inpatient beds in Montgomery County, 126 beds in Albany County, 52 beds in Schenectady County and 104 beds in Saratoga County.

The continuing decrease in the overall number of inpatient psychiatric beds, particularly in state-operated psychiatric centers, is due to policy decisions made decades ago, the report notes. It included an American Medical Association journal article that cited the belief that mental hospitals are cruel and inhumane, the hope that antipsychotic medications offered cures and the desire to save money as reasons state-operated psychiatric centers lost beds in the last several decades.

To help address the mental health crisis, last year's state budget included $1 billion to overhaul the state's mental health system and expand inpatient psychiatric beds, including 150 new adult beds in state-operated psychiatric hospitals.

"Decades of chronic underinvestment has allowed far too many New Yorkers to fall through the cracks in our State's mental health care system," Hochul said in a statement following the budget's passage. "The plan to fix our State's continuum of mental health care marks a monumental shift in our approach, reversing years of neglect to our system and bringing bold investments to ensure that everyone in our state has access to the high-quality care they deserve. Today, we mark a new era in our state, making the mental health needs of all New Yorkers a top priority."

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