Psychologists Can't Meet Growing Demand For Mental Health Care, Long Waitlists: NPR

[appalachiablue]

- 'Psychologists say they can't meet the growing demand for mental health care,' NPR, Dec. 6, 2023. Ed.

For the 3rd consecutive year, many psychologists across the country say they are seeing patients struggle with worsening symptoms, many of them needing longer treatment times. Those are among the findings of an annual survey by the American Psychological Association, released this week.
The APA first launched this survey in 2020 to gauge the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on practicing psychologists.

A majority of psychologists reported that more people are seeking mental health care this year, adding to already long waitlists. Over half (56%) said they had no openings for new patients. Among those who keep waitlists, average wait times were 3 months or longer and nearly 40% said that their waitlist had grown in the past year. "We continue to see incredibly high demand for mental health services and an incredibly limited supply," says psychologist Vaile Wright, senior director of Health Care Innovation at the APA.

"This is not a sustainable solution to addressing the mental health crisis in this country."

The survey also found that more people are seeking help for certain kinds of mental health issues, especially anxiety disorders, depression, and trauma and stress related disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder, sleep disturbances and addiction. Over half of psychologists said the length of time patients need treatment had increased. These are all lingering mental health impacts of the pandemic, explains Wright.

"I think there are a variety of ways that individuals experienced trauma during the pandemic," she says. "It could be the loss of a loved one and the grief that comes along with that. It could be one's own sickness and the impact of hospitalizations." The changes to people's personal lives brought about by pandemic-era public health measures, including changes to one's social life, jobs, and altered ability to care for loved ones, also added a lot of stress on people, she adds...
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/12/06/1217487323/psychologists-waitlist-demand-mental-health-care

[barbaraann]

1. The waiting times for child sexual abuse counseling are especially long.

https://www.nspcc.org.uk/about-us/news-opinion/2022/child-sexual-abuse-victims-court-waiting-times/

[appalachiablue]

2. That is awful, tx for adding this article.

[barbaraann]

5. You're welcome.

Sadly, I know this first hand. An abused child I know of has to wait a year.

[bucolic_frolic]

3. I'm gonna throw this out there at face value

"worsening symptoms".

Are they there to make you well, or to make you dependent on them? There are so many types of therapy, many different orientations to psychology, several levels of psychology professionals. Do they sort patients to an appropriate venue? No. It's hit or miss, try this, try that. Younger professionals are not as well trained as they were 40 years ago, and not just because they lack experience.

Things are not going well? No one wants to hear this. Psychology and its practitioners are part of the reason. They are not Brain Gods, though some think they are. And the system, if there even is a system, for finding good care suited to the individual, is broken, faltering, overwhelmed, or nonexistent.

'I've seen the enemy and the enemy is us.'

[appalachiablue]

4. It's a complex area for sure, if you can find a good

practitioner hold on for dear life.

[OldBaldy1701E]

6. Hear Hear!

It reminds me of what my mechanic friend used to say about diesel repairs. Just add a 'zero'. Because that fuel pump that costs $200 for your gas powered car costs $2000 for your diesel vehicle. Healthcare costs are out of control anyway, but when you add the word 'mental' to it, the costs become a SaturnV.

Maybe stop using 'cost' as the sole criteria when it comes to healthcare? Or society in general, for that matter?

BWWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! (I knew I could not say that with a straight face. Because that ain't gonna happen.)