By Benita Mathew
Counties in Wisconsin are facing severe shortages in mental health services, but rural areas in the state continue to fall the most behind. In fact, a report by the Wisconsin Policy Forum found that more than 75 percent of Wisconsin’s rural counties face a “significant shortage” of psychiatrists. However, the shortages expand beyond psychiatrists alone. Wisconsinites struggle to find access to therapists or money to cover mental health care costs, leaving many people’s mental illnesses untreated in rural communities.
