An estimated 58 million American adults, or one in four, suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder. Eleven million live with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or major depression. Yet it can take years for some individuals to see a mental health professional. Some don't want help, but the majority say treatment is often unaffordable. Others don't know where to go for treatment or say that insurance coverage isn't adequate. The contentious debate over gun control since the December massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School has been accompanied by a less polarizing discussion about improving access to mental health care. Still, some proposals have split mental health advocates, including encouraging states to make court-ordered outpatient treatment easier to obtain. In addition, critics say new definitions of mental illnesses will lead to over-diagnosis. Meanwhile, insurers and patient advocates struggle to interpret federal laws requiring equal treatment of mental and physical illnesses.

Barbara Mantel is a freelance writer in New York City whose work has appeared in The New York Times, the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology and Mamm Magazine. She is a former correspondent and senior producer for National Public Radio and has won several journalism awards, including the National Press Club's Best Consumer Journalism Award and Lincoln University's Unity Award. She holds a B.A. in history and economics from the University of Virginia and an M.A. in economics from Northwestern University.