In contrast, in-person services for common mental health disorders fell by more than half after PHE was declared in 2020.
Telemedicine for common mental health issues increased 20-fold in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, more than making up for the simultaneous decline in face-to-face care for many conditions, according to a RAND Corporation study. .
The RAND study is the first to show that increased use of telemedicine more than compensates for the decline in in-person care.
In-person services for depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, indications and post-traumatic stress disorder have fallen by more than half since the public health emergency was declared in 2020. by researchers who surveyed adults with private health insurance.
In contrast, telemedicine use increased steadily in the first year of the pandemic. According to a study published in , by December 2020, remote mental health treatment for some disorders was 10% to 20% higher than it was in January 2020. JAMA Health Forum.
RAND Economist Christopher M. Whaley, senior author of the study, said RAND Economist Christopher M. Whaley.
Other studies have documented elevated levels of psychological distress and mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, concerns about the spread of the coronavirus have caused many mental health providers to eliminate or reduce in-person services.
In response, many health care providers switched to telemedicine mental health service delivery, and both public and private insurance providers expanded coverage of telemedicine services.
To examine trends in telemental health, researchers examined claims from adults with commercial insurance from January to December 2020. Castlight Health provides health benefits managers for employer-sponsored health plans for approximately 200 employers in all 50 states.
The study found that the increase in telemedicine use was lowest in bipolar disorder and highest in anxiety disorders.
Combined treatment rates for face-to-face and telemedicine services led to an overall increase in care for major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, and adjustment disorders. Increased use of mental health services for anxiety disorders during the pandemic was higher among women than among men.
People in rural areas were less likely to use telemedicine services, and people aged 46 years and older were also less likely than younger adults to use services.
“While this may be partly due to the low prevalence of certain diseases among older Americans, the consistency of this trend across different diagnostic categories suggests that digital literacy “It suggests that factors such as decline and anxiety about using telemedicine may also play a role,” said Ryan. K. McBain, lead author of the study and policy researcher at RAND.
Support for this research was provided by the National Institute on Aging and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
John Commins is a content specialist and online news editor for HealthLeaders, a Simplify Compliance brand.
