New year, old woes: The need for therapy continues to grow in the third year of the pandemic. The U.S. system may soon be unable to deal with the demand. But what to do when the practitioners themselves are burned out?
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is not only impacting physical health, but also the mental health of many people. That’s why not only the capacities of the general health system, but also the mental health capacities have been completely exhausted for years. In the U.S., the demand for mental health treatments has been steadily increasing over the past three years. Psychologists can no longer cope with the demand and have to turn down patients, according to a recent study by the American Psychological Association.
While patients with anxiety disorders and depression are still very common, the numbers of trauma- and substance-related disorders are rising considerably during the Corona years. Nevertheless, the recent study shows a sharp increase in all three areas.
”The percentage of psychologists reporting patient increases in anxiety disorders (79 %), depressive disorders (66 %), and trauma-related and stressor-related disorders (64 %) remained high in 2022, despite small decreases in demand for anxiety and depression treatment compared with 2021. Continued increases were observed for trauma- and stressor-related disorders (51 % in 2020, 62 % in 2021, and 64 % in 2022), obsessive-compulsive and related disorders (31 %, 42 %, and 43 %), and substance-related and addictive disorders (29 %, 43 %, and 47 %) compared with prepandemic. Two-thirds of psychologists (65 %) reported seeing an increase in the severity of symptoms among patients in 2022,” summarizes the American Psychological Association the findings.
Percentage reporting increase since the beginning of the pandemic. Credit: American Psychological AssociationAn interesting development: White and European Americans experienced the highest increase in need for therapy over the course of the last 12 months, at 29 %. Black Americans follow in second place, with bi- or multi-racial Americans and Lantinx Americans close behind. Age demographics also show a clear trend: Most new patients are adolescents (13–17 years), with a 46 % increase in the last year and an overall increase of 51 % since the beginning of the pandemic. This is closely followed by young adults (18–25 years) with a 40 % increase and children (under 13 years) with a 38 % increase in the past 12 months respectively.
American psychologists can no longer cope with this massive increase in new patients. Nearly two-thirds of practitioners surveyed say their waiting lists are significantly longer compared to pre-pandemic levels. Nearly half can't meet the needs of their patients, and 6 in 10 practitioners are no longer accepting new patients at all.
“Having timely access to psychological services is critical for addressing the needs of those diagnosed with behavioral health challenges,” said APA CEO Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD. “But we need to tackle this problem with a variety of solutions, beyond individual therapy. We need to support and expand the workforce, promote integrated behavioral health into primary care, improve mental health literacy, use technology and innovation to expand reach and improve efficiency. But critically, we must expand our paradigm for addressing behavioral health – especially if we are to successfully address health disparities – by using more public health strategies to reach people earlier and in the places where they live, work, and play.”
However, the ever-increasing number of patients and the rising pressure is not leaving psychologists unscathed. Almost 45 % of the psychologists surveyed reported feeling burned out. Although a large proportion of the affected practitioners also stated that they sought peer consultation (60 %), these figures are alarming nevertheless. Percentage of respondents who agree or strongly agree with the statement. Credit: American Psychological AssociationAll in all, the American healthcare system continues to face turbulent times. Not only because of the ever-increasing number of patients, but also due to the ongoing struggles and stress of health care workers – especially in the mental health sector.
Image source: Taisiia Stupak, unsplash
