Mental Health

Mental health encompasses a person’s emotional, psychological, and social state. A mental illness is typically diagnosed when symptoms of the condition impair a person’s ability to live their daily life as they otherwise would. Each year, one in five adults experiences a mental illness, and one in two will experience one at some point in their lives. Mental health, substance use, and social needs are closely interlinked—those with poor mental health are in critical need of a holistic approach to care as they are four times more likely to have multiple unmet social needs and over twice as likely to have a substance use disorder.

Opportunities for innovation we will pursue include improved ability to predict and prevent suicide, efforts to scale effective care models for those with serious mental illness, new approaches to foster the mental health of children, and innovations that integrate physical, behavioral, and social care.