Americans use more conversational therapy than psychological drugs alone: ​​lens

The study found that more people who started psychotherapy persisted than in previous years.

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According to a new study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, in recent years, American adults with more mental health needs have received conversational therapy. Research It was also found that the number of people treated with psychiatric drugs fell for the first time in years.

“We see that during this time, this increase represents a period when psychotherapy plays a more important role in outpatient mental health care.” Dr. Mark Orfsona psychiatrist and epidemiologist at Columbia University.

He said: “The number of adults in the United States who received psychotherapy rose from 6.5% in 2018 to 8.5% in 2021.

The study's lead author, Orfson, explained that the findings have changed significantly from the pattern in previous years.

Since the late 1990s, the use of conversational therapy has declined first and then stabilized. This is also the time when psychiatric medications are increased.

“What we've seen is the late 1980s when Prozac first appeared on the scene, and other antidepressants like SSRIS followed,” Olfson added.

But between 2018 and 2021, he and his team found that among adults receiving outpatient mental health care, the number of adults who only used drugs decreased from 67.6% to 62.1%. Meanwhile, the percentage of patients who received only talk treatment (no medication) increased. They found this trend in patients with depression, anxiety and trauma and stressor-related diseases.

Another positive finding of this study is that more and more people stick to treatment after starting treatment. The study visited new patients more in one year than in previous years.

“Overall, this shows that psychotherapy is becoming increasingly easier to use and people can take advantage of it,” Olfson said. This may also reflect a greater awareness of conversational therapy and expectations for chat therapy, said psychiatrists. Dr. Jesse KingChief Health Officer of the University of Tennessee Systems.

“I think if you know more about the appearance of even therapies, you don’t expect you to be repaired immediately or you don’t close it right away,” she said. Gold added that while the trend recorded in the new study began in 2019, the Covid-19 pandemic has also made people more willing to talk about mental health and seek care.

Telemedicine is part of the picture

As documented in the study, telehealth expansion in pandemic-era may help more people get conversational therapy.

“I think telemedicine does increase access to people who may not be able to get therapist at a specific location or at a time,” Gold said. “I think access has certainly increased, but so is the conversation about that.”

Both Olfson and Gold pointed to another key finding in the new study: Providers of ongoing conversational therapy have also expanded to include licensed counselors and social workers, rather than just psychiatrists and psychologists as in previous years.

“When you have a need and access, the creative model comes into play,” Gold said. “We did look at how to increase access and increase care patterns, which doesn’t always require an MD or PhD.”

Access is still a problem

But, Orfson noted that he and his colleagues found that the people who benefited the most from this increased conversation therapy were mainly wealthy people. “It's among people with more education, private insurance. They earn more; they tend to be in urban areas,” he said. “Those who benefit the most.”

He hopes that these findings will be used to help improve access to mental health care for people with fewer means.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, a recent national survey shows Only half of all Americans Care was received during any mental illness in the previous year.