Healio (2/8, Bascom) reports, “From 2006 to 2018, the proportion of primary care visits addressing mental health concerns jumped by almost 50%, highlighting the need for resources that support behavioral health integration into primary care,” researchers concluded in a study that “used nationally representative serial cross-sectional data from the 2006-2018 National Medical Surveys to characterize temporal trends in primary care visits that addressed a mental health concern.” The study “sample consisted of 109,898 visits representing 3,891,233,060 weighted visits.” The findings were published in the February issue of the journal Health Affairs.
According to HealthDay (2/8, Norton), while “the study cannot pinpoint the reasons” for the increased visits, they are “probably a combination of” factors, such as increased mental health screening and patients being more likely to bring up mental health problems. Robert Trestman, MD, PhD, who chairs “the American Psychiatric Association’s Council on Healthcare Systems and Financing, agreed,” and “noted that the Affordable Care Act…was passed during the study period, which reduced the ranks of the uninsured nationwide” at a time when “the stigma around mental health” also lessened. Dr. Trestman, who had no involvement in the study, stated, “People are more comfortable talking about mental health and addiction,” adding, “It’s a very big deal that the stigma is being reduced.”
Related Links:
— “Primary care providers increasingly addressing mental health concerns “Emma Bascom, Healio, February 8, 2023