The 2025 EBRI Employee Mental Health Survey, based on a survey of 3,103 employees in March and April 2025, explored workers’ experiences with both physical and mental health care to better understand their behaviors and attitudes toward health care generally and mental health care more specifically. The survey also explored access to care and patterns of health care use. For this report, all employees who reported that they or a covered family member used mental health care services are referred to as respondents reporting a mental health condition. Of note, a number of respondents who reported utilizing mental health services did not report a mental health condition. This is consistent with the well-documented underreporting of mental health conditions.
Figure Figure 4 6 Figure 2 Figure 8 In the last What 12 m Prev ty on pe th alen s, of di he ce d alt y of ou h Men care w do ta an l ere y Healt ofy th ou h e Co no follo nd t ab w itiin le on g to sw ge itht? respect to R espondents with a mental health condition were more engaged in both mental and physical health care compared Emergency Room Visits in the Past 6 Months Within Plea y Families, ouse r men select tal byhealt all th Type h at of care app Con ? ly.dition to others. They were more likely to check prices before receiving care, review quality ratings of providers, and XXX X, 2025, #XXX September 15, 2025 Someone on health plan has mental health condition No one on health plan has mental health condition 18% S Som ome eon one e on on he hea allth th pl plan an ha has s me menta ntall h hea eallth th c con ondi diti tio on n No No on one e on on he hea allth th pl plan an ha has s me menta ntall h hea eallth th c con ondi diti tio on n 17% discuss prescription and treatment options with their doctors (Figures 6 and 7). 70% 31% 16% Primary care provider 32% 56% Checked whether my health insurance plan would cover my mental 62% Emergency Care Reliance health care or medication 47% 33% 14 60% % Mental health or behavioral health care 13% In total, 62 percent of respondents with a mental health condition visited the emergency room in the past six 2025 EBRI Employee Mental Health Survey 35% 12% Specialist (not including mental health or behavioral health) 52% months. Th Checked the ese pr res ice ponde of a docnt tors ’s w viser it, m e 50 edicati per on, ce or other nt m m or ental e l i heal keth ly than others to use emergency care, twice as likely to visit 32% c 11% are service before I received care 32% 50% the emergency department three times, and four times as likely to visit four times in a six-month period (Figure The 2025 EBRI Employee Mental Health Survey, based on a survey of 3,103 employees in March and April 32% 10% Prescription for mental health or behavioral health 14% 8). 2025, explored workers’ experiences with both physical and mental health care to better understand their 8% 43% Checked the quality rating of a doctor or hospital before I received 23% behaviors and attitudes toward health care generally and mental health care more specifically. The survey also Prescription NOT for mental health or behavioral health 8% 39% 40% mental care from them 7% 22% 31% 7% explored access to care and patterns of health care use. For this report, all employees who reported that they or a 6% 22% Emergency room covered f 6% amily member used mental health care services are referred to as respondents reporting a mental health 16% 31% condition. Of note, a number of respondents who reported utilizing mental health services d47% id not report a mental 30% Talked to my doctor about prescription options and costs for mental 4% 4% 21% Urgent care health 4% 18% 26% 3% health condition. This is consistent with the well-documented underreporting of mental health conditions. 23% 2% 2% 2% 14% Pastoral counselors 6% 2% 1% 20% 36% Talked to my doctor about other treatment options and costs 17% for mental 1% 20% health Figure 1 Lab tests 22% 22% 0% Key Findings Prevalence of a Mental Health Condition Within Families 10% 9% Medical equipment such as a cane, wheelchair, diabetic testing 11% 10% 30% Prevalence and De suppm liesogr , or aap nebh ulics izer 6% 21% Asked for a generic drug instead of a brand-name drug for mental health 4% 4% care 27% 16% 4% Other, please describe 1% 1% A full 27 percent of respondents reported that they or someon 7% e on their health plan had a mental health co 1% ndition 0% (Figure 1). These respondents were more likely to be between 25 and 54 years old, more often married with 0% 0% 5% 10 10 % % 20 15 % % 30 20 % % 40 25% % 50 30% % 60 35% % 70 40% % Visited emergency 1 visit 2 visits 3 visits 4 visits 5 or more visits 25% room children, and more often employed at smaller firms. Figure 3 Figure 7 Top Conditions Figure 5 In the last six months, were you ever not able to get medical care, What In the is t last he 12 mm ain on reason ths, did you you w do ere an no yt of ab th le e to fo ge llot w m in ed g ical withcare, t respec est t to s, 20% tests, or treatment you or a doctor believed necessary? 19% Anxiety (17 percent), major depressive disorder (11 percent), and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Data and Methods your physical health care? or treatment you or a doctor believed necessary? Someone on health plan has mental health condition No one on health plan has mental health condition (8 pe rcent) were the most reported mental health conditions (Figure 2). Please select all that apply. Someone on health plan has mental health condition No one on health plan has mental health condition 35% Information for this report was collected from a 15-minute online survey of 3,103 workers conducted in Someone on health plan has mental health condition No one on health plan has mental health condition Access to Health Care March and April 2025. 15% 60% 31% 62% Checked whether my health insurance plan would cover my physical health care or medication 56% Respondents reporting a mental health condition were twice as likely as those not reporting a mental health 30% All respondents were: 52% condition to be unable to get medical care, tests, or treatment they or a doctor believed necessary over the past six 50% 9% months (Figure 3). 10% 46% • Between the ages of 20 and 74. 55% Checked the price of a doctor’s visit, medication, or other physical health 25% care service before I received care 43% 7% • Covered by an employment-based health plan from their own employer, a spouse’s employer, or a When asked what type of health care they were unable to access, one in three respondents reporting a mental 40% parent’s employer. health condition reported struggling to get mental health or behavioral health care (33 percent) and prescriptions 5% 49% 20% Checked the quality rating of a doctor or hospital before I received (32 percent), at more than twice the rates of those who did not report mental health conditions (13 percent for • Not self-employed. physical care from t32% hem 37% 31% men ta 30 l% health or behavioral health care and 14 percent for prescriptions) (Figure 4). 2% 27% 15% 25% Quotas for gender, age, income, and education were employed to achieve representation. For a similarly 15% 51% Talked to my doctor about prescription options and costs for physical size 0%d random sample, at a 95 percent confidence, the margin of error for the full sample of 3,103 is +/-1.8 A doctor’s refusal to accept their insurance was nearly twice as likely to be cited as the main barrier to care by 21% health 41% Anyone on health plan Respondent A child under the age of 18 A child ages 18–26 Respondent's spouse or 19% 20% percent. The data include an oversample of 849 covered workers who themselves, or another covered by the 18% respondents with a mental health condition compar 17% ed with those without one. 17% 17% partner 15% same insurance in their household, have a mental health or substance use condition. 10% Those with a mental health condition were also 50 percent more likely to say that they weren’t able to get care 38% Talked to my doctor about other treatment options and costs for physical 10% 10% 10% health 8% because they could not take time off work or get child care than those reporting 30% no one on their plan had a mental The Employee Benefit Research Institute is a private, nonpartisan, and nonprofit research institute based in health condition. (Figure 5). 5% Washington, D.C., that focuses on health, savings, retirement, and economic security issues. EBRI does not lobby and does not take policy positions. This research was supported by a grant from the Path Forward. For more 25% Asked for a generic drug instead of a brand-name drug for physical 0% health care Couldn't afford My health plan Doctor refused to Doctor doesn't Couldn't get Coul26% dn't take Didn't know The wait took too information, visit www.ebri.org. care wouldn't approve, accept my speak my transportation to time off work or where to go to long 0% High Health Care Engagement cover, or pay for insurance language doctor's office get child care get care Yes 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% care © 2025, Employee Benefit Research Institute, 901 D St. SW, Suite 802, Washington, DC 20024, 202/659-0670 | ebri.org 3 2 6 4 5