The US National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) reports that funding has been the lowest since 2009 recession. Their new report shows that 29 states and the District of Columbia increased funning for mental health services in 2014. That’s a considerable decline from the previous year, when 36 states and the district hiked funding.

Between 2009 and 2013, states have cut $4.35 billion from their mental health budget programs, literally decimating access to services for many people living with mental illness, according to their report. “The damage can be a long way off from being repaired.” Not a good thing.

NAMI states this is a serious problem that seems to continue, including “psychiatric boarding” in hospital emergency rooms due to lack of inpatient crisis care and over-representation of people with mental illnesses in our criminal justice system.