If you feel like the current political climate is having a literal impact on your mood, you may be right.
A majority of the respondents to the Buffalo Business First Behavioral and Mental Health Providers List said they've seen patients whose mental states have been hurt by political mud-slinging, the financial impacts of insurance changes and other current affairs.
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"The stress in our society impacts those already vulnerable due to a mental health condition. The lack of empathy and compassion impacts everyone negatively," said Jessica Pirro of Crisis Services, the No. 11 provider on The List.
"Fear and tension over the future, especially when it comes to health insurance and access to care, can have a negative impact. Political support for legislation and funding for demonstration projects, program expansion and student loan relied have a very positive impact," said Elizabeth Mauro of Endeavor Health Services, which came in at No. 9 on The List.
The political climate may exacerbate problems for some, but for many others issues will exist regardless of what's going on in the world around them. About 36 percent of respondents said, based on their experience, more than one-quarter of the general population is impacted by a mental health condition (20 percent said that number exceeds three-quarters).
Despite this, a stigma still hangs over those seeking help for mental health issues that needs to be eliminated for some people to get the treatment they need. That stigma extends to insurance agencies and government-run operations, which providers said often place caps on mental health spending and otherwise ostracize that subset of health and medicine.
Topping The List is BestSelf Behavioral Health, the new agency formed last year with the merger of Child and Adolescent Treatment Services and Lake Shore Behavioral Health. That move forces last year's top provider, Horizon Health Services Inc., down to No. 2.
Following is more information on the companies on The List.
Employees in division
| Rank | Prior Rank | Name/ prior (*new or not ranked)/ URL |
|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | BestSelf Behavioral Health |
2 | 1 | Horizon Health Services Inc. |
3 | 2 | Erie County Medical Center Corp. |