Deterioration of mild anxiety and depression with Better Access treatment: implications for scaling up psychotherapy worldwide

Aust Health Rev. 2023 Oct 17. doi: 10.1071/AH23163. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTThe Australian Medicare Better Access initiative in mental health reached one in every 10 Australians in 2021 (more than 2.6 million people) with interventions targeted at mild-to-moderate anxiety and depression, provided by general practitioners, allied health professionals, and/or psychiatrists, at a cost of AUD1.2 billion. However, the overall mental health of the Australian population has not improved since the introduction of Better Access. The benefits of population-scale mental health interventions (medications and psychotherapies) might have been overestimated for milder conditions, and the iatrogenic potential underestimated. A recent evaluation of Better Access found that mild anxiety and depressive symptoms were threefold more likely to worsen (32%) rather than improve (10%). Better Access might be targeted more cost-effectively towards severe and complex conditions, for which treatment appears to have superior risk-benefit ratios. These findings have implications for similar initiatives worldwide, such as those proposed by the World Health Organization.PMID:37844607 | DOI:10.1071/AH23163
Source: Australian Health Review - Category: Hospital Management Authors: Source Type: research