Why Mental Health Isn’t One-Size-Fits-All

Juan Jose (JJ) Ayala
May 30, 2025
4 min read

Updated: Jun 12, 2025

Why Mental Health Isn’t One-Size-Fits-All

By Juan Jose (JJ) Ayala, Executive Director, Team Percepto

At Team Percepto, we believe that primary research is one of the most powerful tools we have to understand real needs and spark meaningful action. I write these articles based on the original data we collect, not pulled from headlines or secondhand reports, but directly from the people and communities we engage through carefully designed surveys and studies.

While we do not mention our clients by name in the body of our public reporting, I want to thank Be Social Productions for the opportunity to team up on this work and help make this topic a priority, because community health and mental wellness affect us all.

I use this data to highlight important issues, shape narratives that matter, and ultimately help turn insight into strategy. It’s a process that combines the full scope of what we do at Team Percepto, from research design and data collection to deep analysis, visual storytelling, and strategic framing. Every step is built to inform not just what’s happening, but what to do about it.

This piece is part of an ongoing series focused on community health and wellness. The series brings fresh attention to the barriers, behaviors, and opportunities shaping how people experience care, support, and well-being today.

This particular article draws from a recent health and wellness survey conducted across Southern California. The data uncovered something too important to ignore. Mental health is a major concern across the board, but how it shows up and what people need varies significantly. Different income groups, age ranges, and household realities are shaping how people understand and prioritize their mental well-being. And if we fail to recognize those differences, we risk building solutions that don’t reach the people who need them most.

Mental Health Is a Top Concern but Not for Everyone

Mental health has become a headline topic in recent years, but our data reminds us that concern alone doesn’t mean consensus. In our Southern California survey, 21% of respondents identified mental health as a top concern, just behind affordability. But that concern wasn’t distributed equally.

Mental health emerged most prominently among younger and higher-income respondents, while lower-income and older respondents were more likely to name chronic illness or affordability as their primary health concerns. In other words, mental health may be on everyone’s radar, but not everyone has the space or stability to address it.

This distinction matters. It signals that mental health interventions need to reflect not just psychological conditions, but also the economic and social conditions people live with.

When Services Are Offered, Priorities Still Diverge

The divide doesn’t stop at concern. It shows up in what people actually ask for when given the chance.

When asked what additional services they’d like to see in community clinics:

Mental health support topped the list at 19% overall, with strong interest among lower-income respondents
Higher-income respondents showed more interest in nutritional guidance at 23% than in mental health support

These differences reveal how people prioritize services based on their lived experiences. For lower-income individuals, mental health services may represent a critical support system, perhaps their only opportunity to talk to someone, find structure, or get help navigating emotional strain. In contrast, higher-income groups may already have access to these services through private insurance or work benefits, allowing them to focus more on preventive care and lifestyle choices.

Woman expressing emotions during a conversation with a therapist holding a notebook. Soft lighting, calm setting, neutral tones.

Mental Health Support Can’t Be One-Size-Fits-All

The survey makes one thing clear. Mental health is not a luxury, but a complex need shaped by economic and social realities.

We saw this in the data. Mental health support was the most requested community service overall at 19%, with particularly strong interest among lower-income respondents. That’s a critical insight. It means the very communities that face the most structural barriers, like cost, transportation, or language access, are also the ones most in need of support that fits their realities.

It’s easy to design programs around a generalized “need for mental health care,” but if those programs fail to consider the barriers like cost, time, stigma, and access, they won’t serve the people who need them most. For someone juggling multiple jobs or facing food insecurity, finding time for a 60-minute therapy session might not be realistic. For someone in a bilingual household or unfamiliar with healthcare systems, navigating insurance or digital apps can feel impossible.

This is why our work at Team Percepto places so much value on understanding the specifics, who is being asked, how they're living, and what they’re actually asking for.

A Call to Action: Design With, Not For, the Community

Mental health initiatives must be built with community realities in mind. That includes not just age and income, but cultural norms, access to technology, and trust in institutions. That means:

Expanding affordable, walk-in mental health services at local clinics
Building programs that reflect linguistic and cultural diversity
Partnering with trusted organizations and messengers who already know the communities being served

Too often, even well-intentioned programs are based on assumptions rather than direct community input. What this data reminds us is that the best ideas start with listening. The best outcomes come from designing with, not for, the people we aim to serve.