Addressing the Mental Health Crisis: Why Personalized Digital Solutions Are Essential To Meet Growing Demand

The following is a guest article by Byron Crowe, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Solera Demand for mental services has never been higher, and an ongoing shortage of psychiatrists and psychologists is preventing millions of Americans from timely access to mental health services. And the timing couldn’t be worse — findings from Solera Health’s recent Mental Health Index, a nationally representative survey of over 3,000 U.S. adults, found that 42% of Americans continue to be bothered by symptoms of anxiety and depression, a staggering figure that remains substantially elevated from pre-pandemic numbers. Moreover, these symptoms were not distributed equally but were 60% more likely to affect low-income individuals compared to those in the highest income brackets. How can healthcare stakeholders respond to this collision of mental health needs alongside a dramatic shortage of providers? One solution is to go beyond the conventional approach of relying solely on in-person treatments and medications. Instead, we can harness the full potential of the digital health toolkit, which includes options like self-guided and coached digital cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and tele-therapy services. Today’s Therapist Shortage: A Significant Barrier to Mental Health Care The availability of mental health professionals alongside rising demand poses a significant barrier to accessing timely and quality mental health care. As of March 2023, 163 million Americans live in areas with a short...
Source: EMR and HIPAA - Category: Information Technology Authors: Tags: Healthcare IT Telemedicine and Remote Monitoring CBT Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Digital CBT Digital Mental Health Tools Dr. Byron Crowe M.D. Healthcare Barriers Personalized Healthcare Solera Solera Network Teletherapy Therapist Source Type: blogs