6 Reasons Adults Delay Mental Health Treatment – And What to Do About It

In 2024, 52% of adults with a mental health condition received treatment.¹ While it is good news that so many people sought the help they needed, what happened to the other half? What causes such a large number of people to skip mental health treatment entirely?

The reality is, there are many barriers to mental health care that can cause delays in receiving treatment. Sometimes, it’s the psychological barriers to seeking therapy that cause delays, while in other cases, it’s due to aspects that are out of the person’s control.

This article explores the common reasons adults delay mental health care, including stigma, and financial and logistical barriers to receiving therapy. We will also look at strategies to overcome mental health treatment procrastination and how to encourage adults to seek help when they need it.

What Causes Delayed Mental Health Treatment?

It would be difficult to pinpoint a single reason why someone delays mental health treatment. Hesitation often comes from a combination of factors rather than one clear cause. Issues like fear of stigma or a lack of mental health education and awareness can overlap and create self-imposed barriers. Then, there are issues outside the person’s control, like financial and logistical barriers to therapy. 

Understanding these influences helps explain why adults delay reaching out, even when support is needed. Below, we look at the most common reasons mental health treatment is postponed.

1. Stigma and Fears of Judgment

The topic of mental health has become far more open and understood over the last few years, but this hasn’t fully eradicated the stigma that still surrounds it. Many people continue to view mental health treatment as a sign of “weakness,” or feel that needing support brands them as being “crazy.” This stigma and fear can easily lead to mental health treatment avoidance, meaning many never get the help they need.

A community survey found that being perceived as “weak” or “crazy” was among the most commonly reported barriers to seeking mental health care.² Cultural norms and general misconceptions, such as viewing mental illness as a personal failing, were also noted as making it harder to admit when help is needed.

But mental health conditions are medical issues, not character flaws. In the same way you would have a physical injury checked, it’s important to seek professional care for mental health concerns as well.

2. Trying to Handle It on Your Own

Another common barrier to mental health care is a strong sense that you should cope with problems on your own. You might even tell yourself that you need to “toughen up” or “figure things out yourself,” rather than seeing a mental health professional.

An international study found that nearly 64% of people reported similar thought processes, even though they knew they needed help with their mental health.³ This attitude can come from wanting to stay independent or not wanting to burden others. 

While this resilience is admirable, mental health isn’t something to be dealt with alone. It’s perfectly fine to seek help, especially if you know that, deep down, something isn’t quite right.

3. Not Recognizing the Need for Help

In some cases, adults may delay treatment because they didn’t realize they needed it or downplay symptoms altogether. They may think their symptoms “aren’t that bad” or hope they will simply go away with time or minor adjustments.

This low perceived need for treatment is actually the number one reason people don’t seek help for mental health issues, according to one study.⁴ It found that over half of respondents with mental health conditions hadn’t pursued treatment because they didn’t believe they needed any.⁴

Sometimes, people misinterpret their symptoms, perhaps putting them down to current stress levels or just “personality.” The same study also found that some people simply didn’t know what resources were available to them, while others said it was too difficult to label what they were experiencing as an actual health issue.⁴

As a result, many wait until things worsen and situations become difficult to deal with before fully acknowledging that professional help is needed. The impact of delayed therapy on outcomes can be significant, with conditions often becoming more entrenched and harder to treat the longer they go unaddressed.

Experts point to improving mental health literacy to help people recognize the signs of a condition and overcome this barrier sooner.³

4. Financial Barriers

Practical obstacles like money can also play a huge role in why adults delay care. Mental health treatment can be expensive, especially if you have high co-pays or lack insurance.

A U.S. study found that nearly one-third of adults with depression who also had medical debt delayed seeking mental health care because of the expense.⁵ Even among those without debt, a significant number still avoided or postponed treatment due to costs. These findings align with international research showing that financial barriers contribute to what experts call the “treatment gap.”²

If you’ve ever hesitated to seek help because of your financial situation, that’s understandable. Fortunately, there are options available, such as sliding-scale clinics or insurance reforms.

For more information about your insurance coverage for mental health care, contact Mission Connection or submit your details through the mental health insurance verification form on our website. We’re here to help you understand your options and make informed decisions about your care.

5. Fear of Treatment

Fear of mental health treatment itself can also be a major reason why people avoid seeking help. Treatment can involve multiple components, including therapy and medication, which come together to form an overall treatment plan. Some people are not comfortable with every aspect involved.

For example, one study found that the single most common reason for delay was fear of the side effects of medications that may be prescribed. Without the right education, many people worry that taking medication could change their personality or lead to dependency.⁶

People may also feel fearful of therapy itself, largely due to uncertainty about what it involves. Therapy is an incredibly private and personal experience, so there aren’t many people openly explaining what actually happens in sessions. Therapy can also look different depending on each person’s situation. This leaves room for harmful misconceptions to become another barrier to treatment.

Education plays a key role here. If you have concerns about therapy, the best step is to talk them through with a mental health professional. Modern treatments are safe and tailored to your comfort level, and you will always have a say in your care.

6. Problems With Access and Time

Life can get busy, whether through work, family, education, or day-to-day responsibilities, and it can start to feel impossible to squeeze in therapy appointments. For example, one large review of studies found that about 41% of college students cited a “lack of time” as a reason for not seeking help.⁷

Even when you’re ready to get support, logistical barriers can still appear, such as long waiting lists or a shortage of providers in your area. Unfortunately, mental health professional shortages are a significant reality. Millions of people in the U.S. live in areas with too few therapists, which can mean waiting months for an appointment or travelling long distances for care.⁸

These hurdles can make it harder to access help promptly, even when someone is fully on board with the idea of treatment. If this is what you’re currently facing, one good option is teletherapy. Teletherapy is online-based therapy and has all the same components of professional care as in-person therapy, while allowing you to overcome time and location challenges.

While accessing care can be difficult in some situations, there are still ways to get the help you need. Speaking with a mental health professional can be an important first step, as they can suggest options based on your circumstances.

Signs You Shouldn’t Delay Treatment

Remember, some mental health situations require urgent medical help. If you, or someone else, is experiencing thoughts of self-harm, suicide, dissociation, or hallucinations, this needs to be acted on urgently. Call 911 right away or go to the nearest emergency room. These symptoms need urgent, in-person care.

For others, the symptoms may not feel like an emergency, but they are still signs you shouldn’t delay treatment, including:

• A persistent low mood that does not improve
• Anxiety that interferes with daily functioning
• Emotional numbness that feels ongoing
• Withdrawal from social interaction
• Disrupted sleep patterns
• A constant sense of being overwhelmed

When therapy is delayed, symptoms can become more ingrained and harder to treat, making early intervention very important for a full recovery. 

AMFM: Taking the Next Step

If you feel as though any of these barriers to mental health care apply to you and your situation, contact AMFM today.

We provide expert treatment options for adults hesitant to seek help. If you’re not in any immediate danger, please take advantage of our free mental health self-assessment tools for adults. These assessments take less than 5 minutes, provide instant results, and can help you recognize when therapy is needed.

If the results suggest that you may benefit from therapy, please contact us as soon as possible.

We’re also here to discuss any financial and logistical barriers to therapy that you may be experiencing and talk through your options to overcome them.

Compassionate adult mental health support is available, and our team is ready to assist you.

References

1. NAMI. (2025, December 22). Mental health by the numbers. NAMI. https://www.nami.org/mental-health-by-the-numbers/
2. Luitel, N. P., Jordans, M. J. D., Kohrt, B. A., Rathod, S. D., & Komproe, I. H. (2017). Treatment gap and barriers for mental health care: A cross-sectional community survey in Nepal. PLOS ONE, 12(8), e0183223. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0183223
3. Andrade, L. H., Alonso, J., Mneimneh, Z., Wells, J. E., Al-Hamzawi, A., Borges, G., Bromet, E., Bruffaerts, R., de Girolamo, G., de Graaf, R., Florescu, S., Gureje, O., Hinkov, H. R., Hu, C., Huang, Y., Hwang, I., Jin, R., Karam, E. G., Kovess-Masfety, V., & Levinson, D. (2014). Barriers to mental health treatment: Results from the WHO World Mental Health (WMH) surveys. Psychological Medicine, 44(6), 1303–1317. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291713001943
4. Coêlho, B. M., Santana, G. L., Viana, M. C., Wang, Y.-P., & Andrade, L. H. (2021). “I don’t need any treatment” – Barriers to mental health treatment in the general population of a megacity. Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry, 43(6). https://doi.org/10.1590/1516-4446-2020-1448
5. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. (2024, July 18). Adults with depression or anxiety more likely to have medical debt, delay care. https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2024/adults-with-depression-or-anxiety-more-likely-to-have-medical-debt-delay-care
6. Altuwairqi, Y. (2023). Factors influencing delay in seeking care for mental illness among a sample of adult Saudi Arabian patients. Cureus, 15(11), e49438. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.49438
7. Zhao, R., Amanvermez, Y., Pei, J., Castro-Ramirez, F., Rapsey, C., Garcia, C., Ebert, D. D., Haro, J. M., Fodor, L. A., David, O. A., Rankin, O., Chua, S. N., Martínez, V., Bruffaerts, R., Kessler, R. C., & Cuijpers, P. (2025). Research review: Help-seeking intentions, behaviors, and barriers in college students — A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.14145
8. AAMC. (2022). Exploring barriers to mental health care in the U.S. AAMC.https://www.aamc.org/about-us/mission-areas/clinical-care/exploring-barriers-mental-health-care-us