WISCONSIN — Roughly 20% of American adults dealt with a mental health issue in 2020 alone. Therefore, it’s no surprise the stigma surrounding mental healthcare, and simply asking for mental health help, have continued to fall by the wayside.

“Since the pandemic started, there has been an increase in requests for mental health services,” Mary Kay Battaglia, the executive director of National Alliance on Mental Illness-Wisconsin, said. “So, I’d say the stigma may have gone down a bit because everyone understands that your mental wellness is a very important part of your overall well-being.”

In addition to one out of every five Americans dealing with a mental health issues in 2020, one in six young people experienced a major depressive episode, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

SAMHSA also said 1-in-20 Americans live with a serious mental illness “such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression.”

“There are [still] so many barriers to receiving the care that we need,” Battaglia added. “There’s a workforce shortage for people providing mental health services, there are barriers to people having insurance or the right insurance — there are a lot of barriers and there’s a lot of discrimination.”

Watch the full interview above.