Behavioral Health Diagnoses and Health Care Use Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Valdés, Elise G.; Gorman, Jack M.; Ren, Yingqian; Bowling, Matt; Steiner, Leigh; Bethea, Johnny; Aamar, Rola; Andel, Ross; Reist, Christopher

doi:10.1176/appi.ps.202100133

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…The COVID-19 global pandemic has led to an increasing demand for mental health services via technology based treatments and a reduction in traditional access to mental health services as many providers were required to move from in-person treatment to completely remote treatment ( Silver et al, 2021 ; Titov et al, 2020 ; Valdes et al, 2022 ). Overall, there was a significant increase in demand for access to technology-based services early in the pandemic.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many of the studies published on changes in behavioral health treatment due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic examined the acute impacts of COVID-19 during the first 3-12 months of the pandemic ( Silver et al, 2021 ; Titov et al, 2020 ; Valdes et al, 2022 ; Mahoney et al, 2021 ; Staples et al, 2021 ) rather than longer term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on treatment-seeking behaviors, which are not explored in the extant literature. Measuring both immediate and ongoing long-term effects of the pandemic on treatment seeking could help health systems understand both temporary and persisting changes in mental health services needs and preferences, as well as prepare for future global catastrophes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The impact of COVID-19 on treatment seeking and interest in internet-based therapy for anxiety-related disorders: An interrupted time-series analysis

Hamlett¹,

Tyler²,

Bredemeier³

et al. 2023

Psychiatry Research

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of COVID-19 on treatment seeking and interest in internet-based therapy for anxiety-related disorders: An interrupted time-series analysis

Hamlett¹,

Tyler²,

Bredemeier³

et al. 2023

Psychiatry Research

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“…There is no debate that the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on the mental wellness of the population as a result of new stressors such as quarantine, health anxiety, and nancial hardship [1,2]. Survey and observational cohort studies have reported increased symptoms of anger, anxiety and depression along with incident diagnoses [1,3,5]. Additionally, health systems had to rapidly adapt in order to ensure continuity of care [6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends in visits to a 24-hour walk-in crisis mental health centre during the COVID-19 pandemic

Lemoine,

Jiang,

Vakil

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Objective:Visit rates were examined at a 24-hour mental health crisis centre in Manitoba, Canada that offered in-person and virtual crisis assessments in a stepped care model during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: All visits from the three years prior to the pandemic until September 28, 2022 were retrieved from the electronic patient record. Mean weekly visits had the pandemic not occurred were predicted with an autoregressive integrated moving average model and compared with observed rates. Results: Visit rates remained lower than predicted throughout the observation period, with the total number of visits reduced by an average of 34.1 per week (p <.001) at the onset of the pandemic (first wave), and that gap narrowing to an average of 18.9 visits per week (p=0.001) during the fourth wave. Thirteen percent of pandemic visits were virtual; highest during the first wave of the pandemic (average of 34.1% of visits per week) and decreased to an average of 5.6% of visits per week during the last measured period. Conclusion: Further investigation is necessary to better understand this sustained pattern of reduced service utilization as we move beyond the pandemic.

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Availability of behavioral health crisis care and associated changes in emergency department utilization

Burns,

Vest,

Menachemi

et al. 2024

Health Services Research

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ObjectiveTo determine whether availability of behavioral health crisis care services is associated with changes in emergency department (ED) utilization.Data Sources and Study SettingWe used longitudinal panel data (2016–2021) on ED utilization from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project's State ED Databases and a novel dataset on crisis care services compiled using information from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's National Directories of Mental Health Treatment Facilities. A total of 1002 unique zip codes from Arizona, Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, and Wisconsin were included in our analyses.Study DesignTo estimate the effect of crisis care availability on ED utilization, we used a linear regression model with zip code and year fixed effects and standard errors accounting for clustering at the zip code‐level. ED utilization related to mental, behavioral, and neurodevelopmental (MBD) disorders served as our primary outcome. We also examined pregnancy‐related ED utilization as a nonequivalent dependent variable to assess residual bias in effect estimates.Data Collection/Extraction MethodsWe extracted data on crisis care services offered by mental health treatment facilities (n = 14,726 facility‐years) from the National Directories. MBD‐related ED utilization was assessed by applying the Clinical Classification Software Refined from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project to the primary ICD‐10‐CM diagnosis code on each ED encounter (n = 101,360,483). All data were aggregated to the zip code‐level (n = 6012 zip‐years).Principal FindingsThe overall rate of MBD‐related ED visits between 2016 and 2021 was 1610 annual visits per 100,000 population. Walk‐in crisis stabilization services were associated with reduced MBD‐related ED utilization (coefficient = −0.028, p = 0.009), but were not significantly associated with changes in pregnancy‐related ED utilization.ConclusionsWalk‐in crisis stabilization services were associated with reductions in MBD‐related ED utilization. Decision‐makers looking to reduce MBD‐related ED utilization should consider increasing access to this promising alternative model.

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Behavioral Health Diagnoses and Health Care Use Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Cited by 3 publications

References 17 publications

The impact of COVID-19 on treatment seeking and interest in internet-based therapy for anxiety-related disorders: An interrupted time-series analysis

The impact of COVID-19 on treatment seeking and interest in internet-based therapy for anxiety-related disorders: An interrupted time-series analysis

Trends in visits to a 24-hour walk-in crisis mental health centre during the COVID-19 pandemic

Availability of behavioral health crisis care and associated changes in emergency department utilization

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