First Peer-Reviewed Headway Study Finds Nearly 1 in 5 Patients Report Suicidal Thoughts at Their First Mental Health Visit

Peer-reviewed analysis of 189,225 intake appointments in all 50 states, published in JMIR Mental Health, is the clearest national picture to date of suicidal ideation among people starting outpatient mental health care

NEW YORK, Aug. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Headway, the company building a new mental healthcare system that everyone can access, today announced the publication of peer-reviewed research in JMIR Mental Health finding that 18.6% of commercially insured patients reported some level of suicidal ideation at their first outpatient mental health appointment through Headway. Among all patients, 2.1% reported such thoughts nearly every day.

The study analyzed Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) responses from 189,225 patients ages 6 to 64 who began care with a Headway clinician between January 2024 and October 2025, in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Among the most important findings:

• Adolescents reported the highest rates of suicidal thoughts. Among patients ages 13 to 17, 32.8% reported suicidal ideation and 4.8% reported it nearly every day, above the 13% to 22% range of published national estimates for that age group.
• The gender pattern reverses in adulthood. Girls up to age 18 reported ideation more often than boys, a pattern that reversed at 19, with men reporting it more often than women. Patients identifying as non-binary reported the highest rate of any group examined, at 37.5%, compared with 21.6% of men and 18.8% of women.
• Ideation tracked with social vulnerability. The researchers linked each patient's ZIP code to the CDC Social Vulnerability Index. Patients living in the most socially vulnerable areas reported both more ideation and more frequent ideation than those in the least vulnerable areas, with the strongest associations for socioeconomic vulnerability and for household characteristics including single parenthood, disability and limited English proficiency.
• The states with the highest rates have the fewest clinicians. State-level rates ranged from 14.1% in the District of Columbia to 30% in West Virginia. Measured against each state's supply of mental health clinicians, West Virginia and Alaska showed the widest gap between the severity patients present with and the number of clinicians available to treat them.

"The scale of our network gives us insight into questions that haven't yet been answered," said Dr. Nicole Benson, Head of Clinical Product at Headway and the study's senior author. "Understanding who is arriving for care and what they're experiencing helps clinicians give the most effective, informed care. We publish these learnings more broadly because the field benefits when those answers belong to everyone."

"I am struck by the number of patients expressing suicidality at their initial presentation," said Dr. Taft Parsons III, co-author of the report. "This study has real world implications for screening and identification of patients in need of services and how to treat them."

Headway analyzes data like this because a network of more than 85,000 clinicians can see patterns no single practice can, and the company has built its safety response around what it finds. A positive response on item 9 notifies the treating clinician, the patient receives crisis resources, and patients have access to a crisis line staffed 24 hours a day. The validated Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) is available to clinicians on Headway for follow-up assessment.

The full paper, including state-by-state figures and the care gap analysis, is available in JMIR Mental Health.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a free, confidential service available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org.

About Headway
Headway is building the modern mental healthcare system where everyone can get the right care from the right therapist, covered by insurance. Today, we're the largest mental health provider network in the country, with over 85,000 providers across race, gender, ethnicity and specialty working with Headway to run their private practice. Patients can schedule care within 48 hours via one-click booking at headway.co, or can get care through a referral. The company operates in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and has funding from a16z (Andreessen Horowitz), Accel, Forerunner Ventures, Spark Capital, Thrive Capital and Health Care Service Corporation.

Contact
Gabriella Lourie
[email protected]

SOURCE Headway