We have a crisis in mental health care in the United States. Sixty percent of young people with major depression received no mental health treatment in 2017-2018, and one quarter of adults with mental illness reported an unmet need for treatment. In the U.S., 55% of counties have no psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker, and 70% don’t have a single child psychiatrist. Queues for substance abuse care can be weeks long; 70% of those who needed substance use treatment in 2017 did not receive it. To make it worse, many practices have closed or reduced their capacity in response to pandemic health concerns.
Digital Tools Are Revolutionizing Mental Health Care in the U.S.
It’s about more than just Zooming with your therapist.
December 03, 2020
HBR Staff/Tetiana Mykhailyk/mikimad/Getty Images
Summary.
The U.S. has long suffered from a severe shortage of mental health care services. The pandemic has put a spotlight on the effectiveness and wide availability of digital and virtual mental health care, and by doing so might have thrown a lifeline to our mental health system.