Adults with less-severe psychological distress contributed to most of the recent increase in outpatient mental health services, based on survey data from nearly 140,000 adults.
“Rising national rates of suicide, opioid misuse, and opioid-related deaths further suggest increasing psychological distress,” wrote Mark Olfson, MD, MPH, of Columbia University, New York, and his colleagues. “However, it is not known whether or to what extent an increase in mental health treatment has occurred in response to rising rates of psychological distress.”
Dr. Olfson and his colleagues reviewed data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys for the years 2004-2005, 2009-2010, and 2014-2015. Overall, 19% of adults received outpatient mental health services in 2004-2005; the percentage increased to 23% in 2014-2015. About half of the study subjects were women, 67% were white, and the average age was 46 years.
The total percentage of adults with serious psychological distress decreased from 5% in 2004-2005 to 4% in 2014-2015, the researchers noted, although those with serious psychological distress had a greater proportionate increase in the use of outpatient services during the study period, from 54% to 68%.
The number of adults with less-serious distress or no distress who were treated with outpatient mental health services increased from 35 million in 2004-2005 to 48 million in 2014-2015, the researchers wrote in JAMA Psychiatry.
The study results were limited by several factors, including the partial reliance on self-reports of mental health care use and on the limitations of the Kessler 6 scale as an assessment of psychological distress. Other limitations included an absence of data on the specific services used and on the effectiveness of treatments. However, the results suggest that, despite increases in outpatient mental health treatment, many adults with serious psychological distress received no mental health care, they wrote. Individuals with more-severe distress might view mental health care less favorably. In addition, the investigators emphasized the need for continued improvement in general medical settings for detecting and treating or referring adults for mental health service.
Dr. Olfson reported no disclosures. One of the coauthors, Steven C. Marcus, PhD, reported receiving consulting fees from several pharmaceutical companies. The study was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health and the New York State Psychiatric Institute. The Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys are sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
SOURCE: Olfson M et al. JAMA Psychiatry. 2018 Nov 28. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.3550.