Access to mental health services dwindled as providers were strained and under the demand for care during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report made public on Friday.
The GAO concluded that the number of people experiencing anxiety, depression and drug overdoses heightened during the pandemic, while mental health professionals dealt with layoffs, decreased hours and having to turn away patients.
Respondents to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) surveys determined that about 38 percent reported symptoms of anxiety or depression between April 2020 and February 2021. Eleven percent said the same in 2019.
Similarly, emergency departments saw 36 percent more visits for overdoses and 26 percent more visits for suicide attempts from mid-March to mid-October of last year, compared to the previous year.
At the same time, the National Council for Behavioral Health (NCBH) surveyed its members in February 2021 and found that in the three months before the survey, about two-thirds of member organizations saw an escalation in demand, leading them to have to cancel or reschedule appointments or turn patients away.
The report also cited federal data that showed that there were not enough mental health professionals available, and this contributed to the lack of access, particularly in rural areas.
The NCBH survey found 45 percent of member organizations closed some programs, 35 percent reduced staff hours, 27 percent laid off employees and 23 percent furloughed employees. ...
