A culture shift from stigma to support

Being a nurse is one of the most meaningful professions. Each day offers the opportunity to heal, comfort, and make a real difference in people’s lives, often when they need it most. Those same situations, however, can lead to expectations and demands that create an environment rife with stressors and challenges, which in turn can negatively affect nurses’ mental health. When your job involves caring, it’s not always easy to get the care you personally need.

A new survey conducted by the Heart of Safety Coalition and the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation’s ALL IN: Wellbeing First for Healthcare Coalition—of which the American Nurses Association (ANA) and the American Nurses Foundation are members—sheds light on this issue. More than 2,000 healthcare professionals, including 765 RNs and 250 nurse practitioners (NPs), participated. The survey aimed to understand the barriers that care team members face when accessing mental health care.

Potential barriers to accessing mental health care

The survey revealed that structural, institutional, and cultural barriers can prevent nurses and other healthcare professionals from accessing mental health care. These barriers include negative attitudes and beliefs, fear of professional repercussions, cost of care, and scheduling challenges.

For example, more than three quarters of NPs and RNs reported that scheduling around their work demands and a lack of flexibility when their schedules shift created barriers to accessing mental health care. More than two-thirds cited cost—with or without insurance—as a barrier.

RNs and NPs also fear professional repercussions. Nearly half of participants reported concerns that revealing a mental health diagnosis or treatment would jeopardize their ability to get credentialed or hired. About a quarter thought that disclosing a mental health diagnosis and/or treatment would place their license at risk.

From barriers to breakthroughs

Understanding the barriers that limit access to mental health care serves as the first step to breaking them down. Much can be done to increase awareness and improve nurses’ access to the mental health care they need and deserve.

The ALL IN Coalition launched the ALL IN for Health Workers’ Mental Health Initiative to help leaders and frontline nurses learn strategies and find resources that facilitate improved access to mental health care (drlornabreen.org/allinformentalhealth). The initiative outlines six achievable areas to improve access: ensuring accessible and affordable men­tal health care; strengthening access to confidential Professional or Physician Health Programs (PHPs); committing to equal privacy in mental health care (including by removing stigmatizing questions in licensure and credentialing applications); guaranteeing confidential peer support; encouraging education and training on mental health and professional wellbeing; and providing a supportive pathway for re-entry. These actions align with recom­men­dations by the 2024 ANA Membership Assembly.

Despite the barriers that make seeking and accessing mental health care challenging, real progress is being made across multiple states. Nurses can lead this charge. In our survey, 95% of NPs and RNs said they view colleagues accessing mental health care as either neutral or positive. This indicates that most nurses understand that accessing mental health care supports their professional practice.

All healthcare team members need and deserve to have full access to mental health care without fear of any type of professional reprisal. Mental health care is healthcare!

Read the full report at bit.ly/47reUZg.

Liz Boehm is executive strategist for the Heart of Safety Coalition and Stryker. Stefanie Simmons is chief medical officer for the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation. Holly Carpenter is senior policy advisor for the American Nurses Association.

American Nurse Journal. 2025; 20(12). Doi: 10.51256/ANJ122531