Unmet Mental Health Needs in the General Population: Perspectives of Belgian Health and Social Care Professionals

Rens, Eva; Dom, Geert; Remmen, Roy; Michielsen, Joris; Broeck, Kris Van den

doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-33443/v1

Cited by 5 publications

(15 citation statements)

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“…1 Some individuals who recognize their own need for mental health care may not seek out professional help, and those seeking help may not receive appropriate care, resulting in unmet mental health needs (UMHNs). [2][3][4] Attitudinal barriers, such as not perceiving a mental health need, is one of the most frequently cited reasons for not seeking mental health care. 2,4 Compared to the general population, individuals with SMI are nearly twice as likely to develop cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…[2][3][4] Attitudinal barriers, such as not perceiving a mental health need, is one of the most frequently cited reasons for not seeking mental health care. 2,4 Compared to the general population, individuals with SMI are nearly twice as likely to develop cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. 5 Consider that among patients diagnosed with SMI, common comorbid physical disorders may include hypertension (32.5%), cardiovascular disease (11.3%), and diabetes (7.5%).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…8 UMHNs are high in patients with multiple health conditions. 2 Non-adherence to offered therapies may occur in patients with physical disease and mental health disorders. 2,9 A 2019 study by Shafrin et al demonstrated that 61.5% to 88.1% of patients who were nonadherent to their antipsychotics also were nonadherent to other prescribed medication classes (P < .001).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…2 Non-adherence to offered therapies may occur in patients with physical disease and mental health disorders. 2,9 A 2019 study by Shafrin et al demonstrated that 61.5% to 88.1% of patients who were nonadherent to their antipsychotics also were nonadherent to other prescribed medication classes (P < .001). 9 For patients with SMI, medication adherence is needed for optimal symptom stability and day-to-day functioning, and as such, it may be a precondition for adherence to other prescribed medications.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…9 Consequences of UMHNs may lead to negative emotions in both clinicians and patients, which may result in either party experiencing feelings of frustration and powerlessness. 2 Attitudinal barriers are among the most frequently cited reasons for not seeking mental health care. 2 Some patients with SMI may not perceive a need to seek out professional help, and this insight is a prerequisite for demanding care.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Leveraging Digital Medicine to Support Providers and Their Patients in Managing Serious Mental Illness

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Recent national statistics show that an estimated 11.2 million American adults live with serious, chronic forms of mental illness. The burden of mental illness is considerable for these individuals, their families, and communities. Effective medical treatment for serious mental illness (SMI) requires a patient-centered approach that engages patients in shared decision-making and supports the therapeutic alliance. Information regarding medication-taking behavior is essential for making treatment decisions, particularly in the instance of suboptimal therapeutic response. However, the evidence suggests that the probability of nonconformity with prescribed medication is elevated for individuals with SMI and that clinicians often overestimate their patients' adherence to medication-taking behaviors. In patients with SMI, unidentified problems with adherence may lead to unnecessary changes in treatment regimen and increased rates of hospitalization. Although various approaches have been used to assess medication ingestion with greater accuracy, none are without limitation. The growing field of digital medicine has introduced tools that engage patients for clinical purposes, gather and organize clinical data, and help measure care quality. Physician surveys show an appreciable increase in physician adoption of digital clinical tools, and studies suggest that a significant population of patients with SMI own and are comfortable using digital devices and tools. Digital tools designed to help people with SMI have the potential to transform the support and care available to people with mental health disorders, bridging a technology gap in mental health services.

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Leveraging Digital Medicine to Support Providers and Their Patients in Managing Serious Mental Illness

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Insights into the Use of Digital Tools for People with Mental Health Disorders

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Clinically assessed and perceived unmet mental health needs, health care use and barriers to care for mental health problems in a Belgian general population sample

et al. 2022

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Background Mental health problems often remain undetected and untreated. Prior research suggests that this is mainly due to a lack of need-perception and attitudinal barriers. The aim of this study is to examine unmet mental health needs using both a clinically assessed and a self-perceived approach in a Belgian province. Methods A cross-sectional survey study with a weighted representative sample of 1208 individuals aged 15 – 80 years old was carried out in 2021 in the province of Antwerp (Belgium). Mental health needs were defined as a positive symptom screening for depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7) or alcohol abuse (AUDIT-C and CAGE), combined with experiencing significant dysfunction in daily life. Also 12-month health care use for mental health problems, self-perceived unmet mental health needs and reasons for not seeking (extra) help were assessed. Logistic regression analyses were used to explore the predictors of mental health problems, health care use, and objective and subjective unmet mental health needs. Results One in five participants had a positive screening on one of the scales, of whom half experienced dysfunction, leading to a prevalence of 10.4% mental health needs. Among those, only half used health care for their mental health, resulting in a population prevalence of 5.5% clinically assessed unmet mental health needs. Fourteen percent of the total sample perceived an unmet mental health need. However, more women and younger people perceived unmet needs, while clinically assessed unmet needs were higher among men and older people. One in six of the total sample used health care for their mental health, most of whom did not have a clinically assessed mental health need. Motivational reasons were most often endorsed for not seeking any help, while a financial barrier was the most important reason for not seeking extra help. Conclusions The prevalence of unmet mental health needs is high. Assessed and perceived (unmet) mental health needs are both relevant and complementary, but are predicted by different factors. More research is needed on this discrepancy.

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Unmet Mental Health Needs in the General Population: Perspectives of Belgian Health and Social Care Professionals

Cited by 5 publications

References 12 publications

Leveraging Digital Medicine to Support Providers and Their Patients in Managing Serious Mental Illness

Leveraging Digital Medicine to Support Providers and Their Patients in Managing Serious Mental Illness

Insights into the Use of Digital Tools for People with Mental Health Disorders

Clinically assessed and perceived unmet mental health needs, health care use and barriers to care for mental health problems in a Belgian general population sample

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