Even before the pandemic hit, many individuals with mental health conditions didn’t receive treatment; but an increasing number of high-income countries are working toward making it easier to obtain help.
These innovations include integrating behavioral health into primary care practices, training general practitioners to screen for and treat anxiety or depression, and deploying telehealth platforms.
1. Increased Funding
Many countries are prioritizing mental health and expanding access to treatment. Some have even trained community health workers (CCBHC) as counselors specialized in screening for common mental disorders; such specialized counselors tend to be less expensive than psychiatrists, psychologists or social workers.
Third-party data suggests that states are having difficulty meeting the demand for mental health services. Texas, Wisconsin and Georgia in particular are suffering due to a lack of facilities, providers and funding for mental healthcare.
Accessing affordable mental health care can promote employee wellness while cutting down costs for employers. To explore how cost and insurance coverage impact access, explore this special series below – you’ll be inspired by all that can be accomplished when people gain barrier-free access to treatment!
2. Telehealth
Telehealth can be an invaluable way of breaking down barriers that prevent patients from seeking mental healthcare services, including stigmatized conditions like depression. Furthermore, rural areas where there may be limited providers may benefit greatly from Telehealth services.
Patients can easily access telehealth services from anywhere–their homes, offices, phones or other devices–enabling them to connect with mental health professionals without incurring transportation expenses and long commutes, which may be burdensome due to time restrictions, childcare requirements or financial obligations.
Telehealth can also serve as an invaluable means of addressing the social determinants of health and minimizing barriers that are unique to certain populations, including older adults, children, LGBTIA+ individuals and those from diverse cultural backgrounds.
3. Multiple Modalities of Care
The COVID-19 pandemic brought into sharp focus barriers that prevent people from receiving mental health services they require, such as financial constraints, limited insurance coverage or cultural stigmas.
People often feel awkward asking for assistance and may fear how others will react, believing mental illnesses to be signs of weakness that must be managed on their own.
Accessing resources and support groups is one way of breaking down barriers to treatment. Another strategy, task shifting, allows nonspecialist workers and community members to assist specialists with work that requires specialist expertise while freeing up time for them to focus on more complex cases – this method has proven cost savings as well as improved patient outcomes.
4. Virtual Appointments
Virtual appointments offer many advantages to patients. They reduce transportation costs and the need to take time off work for appointments – particularly beneficial to those living in rural areas where finding transportation may be challenging or who face other logistical barriers.
Stigma surrounding mental health issues can make treatment challenging to seek, with individuals fearful that friends or family might react negatively, as well as worrying that disclosing their struggles could harm both their careers or personal relationships.
This barrier can be overcome through community-based initiatives that educate the public on the significance of mental health and promote awareness. Furthermore, programs providing culturally competent care may help break down stigmas by assuring individuals are receiving services from providers who understand their unique needs and experiences.
5. Training
Accessing mental healthcare requires cooperation from multiple stakeholders. Lawmakers and regulators play a pivotal role in expanding access, by enforcing parity laws and devising payment models which foster integration of behavioral health services.
Community organizations, local government and businesses can also break down barriers by creating programs to increase accessibility to mental healthcare. Task shifting programs allow staff with lower professional qualifications to deliver psychoeducation and engage with patients to support goal achievement – proven strategies for reducing stigma while helping individuals navigate a complex mental healthcare ecosystem.
By harnessing these five shifts to drive system change, we can create an accessible, non-stigmatizing mental health care ecosystem resulting in superior outcomes, increased productivity and an engaged workforce.
