Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

We need a mental health infrastructure bill

Jennifer Reid, MD
Policy
March 11, 2021
170 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

In her February 11, 2021 press briefing, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki stated, “The president, vice president, secretary, and senators established the mutual understanding that America needs to build new infrastructure across urban and rural areas, and create millions of good-paying jobs in the process of supporting the country’s economic recovery in the months and years ahead.”

What we need by the end of 2021 is a mental health infrastructure bill.

If we think of our current mental health treatment model as our nation’s transportation system, we are anticipating unprecedented traffic on aging, inadequate roadways. This country is significantly understaffed with trained mental health providers. For example, studies have highlighted that an alarming 55 percent of counties in the continental U.S. have no psychiatrists, and 77 percent of U.S. counties have “severe shortages” of psychiatrists and other behavioral health providers.

There is no singular solution for this complex problem, and we must approach it with federally supported, organized strategies. Behavioral health treatment should be extended by increasing consultation and co-location of psychiatrists in primary care practices. Telepsychiatry, which has increased significantly during the pandemic, should be reimbursed at the same rate as face-to-face care, allowing its broad application in underserved rural and urban areas. Federal and state loan forgiveness funding could also be expanded to telepsychiatry, which would incentivize providers to work in these communities.  Additionally, reimbursement rates for behavioral health treatment must be increased to match the cost of care provision, and prevent the brain drain of providers to cash-based private practices.

Rates of depression, anxiety, and substance abuse were rising before COVID-19, but the pace has quickened at a disturbing rate in the past year. A recent study noted a more than 3-fold increase in depression prevalence during the pandemic, with greater risk associated with lower income and a higher number of stressors.  Additionally, emergency room visits in 2020 increased for life-threatening events such as suicide attempts and drug overdoses.

Many will point out strategies already in place to mitigate this provider shortage, and they are not incorrect. Innovative models of care are increasingly being utilized. While on faculty at a major academic center, I’ve played a role in various care delivery models: the embedded psychiatrist in a comprehensive cancer center, a consulting psychiatrist and behavioral health lecturer in the family medicine department, and the medical director of the outpatient psychiatry clinic. Additionally, acceptance of telepsychiatry has grown exponentially, and multiple states have signed on to the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, which provides a licensed telepsychiatry provider eligibility for an expedited medical license in another state.

In our current system, dedicated individuals labor each day to optimize accessible, high-quality mental health care. But just as a state-by-state approach has complicated our country’s response to COVID-19, we need an organized, federally supported mental health infrastructure update to create sustainable growth.

Indeed, in addition to the future mental health of our population, our economic recovery depends on a robust response to the mental health crisis. For example, the cost of mental health problems in the European Union Member States, primarily due to lost productivity, is estimated at 3 to 4 percent of the EU’s total GDP. Additionally, as our future workforce increasingly shifts from manufacturing to knowledge-based careers, our productivity will be closely tied to our ability to think and apply complex skills. In this environment, interference due to symptoms of anxiety, depression, or PTSD will be even more detrimental to innovation and impede competition with other nations.

As we slowly emerge from the physical withdrawal required during the pandemic, the emotional toll of this past year will become increasingly apparent. Complicated problems demand organized, financially-supported solutions. We need a mental health infrastructure bill now, and we need to start rebuilding.

Jennifer Reid is a psychiatrist and can be reached at her self-titled site, Jennifer Reid, M.D.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

A new system for measuring the story of my life

March 11, 2021 Kevin 0
…
Next

Influenza: a deadly risk in schools before COVID

March 11, 2021 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Psychiatry

Post navigation

< Previous Post
A new system for measuring the story of my life
Next Post >
Influenza: a deadly risk in schools before COVID

More by Jennifer Reid, MD

  • Finding a pathway to hope: reflections from a psychiatrist

    Jennifer Reid, MD
  • Doctors’ mental health: Don’t wait until it’s too late

    Jennifer Reid, MD

Related Posts

  • Sharing mental health issues on social media

    Tarena Lofton
  • Improve mental health by improving how we finance health care

    Steven Siegel, MD, PhD
  • The problem with mental health funding and prisons

    Deepika Parmar, MD
  • Who should be the first responders to mental health crises?

    Amira Athanasios, MD
  • The new mental health education mandate doesn’t go far enough

    Brandon Jacobi
  • A step forward: a way to advance the mental health of health care professionals

    Mattie Renn, Thomas Pak, and Corey Feist, JD, MBA

More in Policy

  • Georgia’s new law promoting truth and transparency in health care credentials

    Carmen Kavali, MD
  • Unveiling the global pandemic threat: insights into risk factors and urgent measures for prevention

    Ton La, Jr., MD, JD
  • Why the WHO’s pandemic accord is critical for global health care

    Elizabeth Métraux
  • The revolutionary Kaiser-Geisinger deal: How health care giants are reshaping the industry and empowering patients

    Robert Pearl, MD
  • Unveiling the intricate link between housing costs and health care

    Harvey Castro, MD, MBA
  • Uncovering the truth about racial health inequities in America: a book review

    John Paul Mikhaiel, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Is chaos in health care leading us towards socialized medicine? How physician burnout is a catalyst.

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
    • Revealing America’s expansion: the dark truth of Native American suffering and unjustified abuses

      Anonymous | Physician
    • A physician’s typical day, as envisioned by a non-clinician health care MBA: a satire

      Jennifer Lycette, MD | Physician
    • The rising threat of lung cancer in Asian American female nonsmokers

      Alice S. Y. Lee, MD | Conditions
    • From Moscow Mule to the opioid crisis: Unveiling the tragic legacy and urgent solutions

      Osmund Agbo, MD | Meds
    • The tragic story of Mr. G: a painful journey towards understanding suicide

      William Lynes, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • “Is your surgeon really skilled? The hidden threat to public safety in medicine.

      Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD | Physician
    • Breaking the cycle of racism in health care: a call for anti-racist action

      Tomi Mitchell, MD | Policy
    • Unveiling the hidden damage: the secretive world of medical boards

      Alan Lindemann, MD | Physician
    • An inspiring tribute to an exceptional radiologist who made a lasting impact

      Kim Downey, PT | Conditions
    • The hidden factor in physician burnout: How the climate crisis is contributing to the erosion of well-being

      Elizabeth Cerceo, MD | Physician
    • Proactive risk management: a game-changer in preventing physician burnout

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Empathy and awareness: Unveiling the hidden dangers of food allergies [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The alarming epidemic of physician burnout and how we can combat it

      Tomi Mitchell, MD | Physician
    • A retired physician’s battle with moral injury

      Hayward Zwerling, MD | Physician
    • Unveiling the secrets to effective resuscitation and overcoming obstacles

      Deepak Gupta, MD | Physician
    • Georgia’s new law promoting truth and transparency in health care credentials

      Carmen Kavali, MD | Policy
    • Physician employment contracts: the key to fighting burnout and improving working conditions [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 1 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • FDA Panel Endorses mAb to Prevent RSV in Infants
  • Novel LAA Closure Device 'Promising'
  • Acute GvHD Risk After Allo-HCT Higher With Some Antibiotics vs Others
  • TTFields Therapy Yields OS Improvement in Second-Line NSCLC
  • Mental Health Provider Disclosed Personal Patient Info in Google Reviews

Meeting Coverage

  • Novel LAA Closure Device 'Promising'
  • TTFields Therapy Yields OS Improvement in Second-Line NSCLC
  • Upper Airway Stimulation Device for OSA Holds Up in Real-World Analysis
  • Morning Naps in Elderly People May Reflect Dementia Risk
  • Extra Follow-Up Confirms Benefit of Nivolumab in Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Is chaos in health care leading us towards socialized medicine? How physician burnout is a catalyst.

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
    • Revealing America’s expansion: the dark truth of Native American suffering and unjustified abuses

      Anonymous | Physician
    • A physician’s typical day, as envisioned by a non-clinician health care MBA: a satire

      Jennifer Lycette, MD | Physician
    • The rising threat of lung cancer in Asian American female nonsmokers

      Alice S. Y. Lee, MD | Conditions
    • From Moscow Mule to the opioid crisis: Unveiling the tragic legacy and urgent solutions

      Osmund Agbo, MD | Meds
    • The tragic story of Mr. G: a painful journey towards understanding suicide

      William Lynes, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • “Is your surgeon really skilled? The hidden threat to public safety in medicine.

      Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD | Physician
    • Breaking the cycle of racism in health care: a call for anti-racist action

      Tomi Mitchell, MD | Policy
    • Unveiling the hidden damage: the secretive world of medical boards

      Alan Lindemann, MD | Physician
    • An inspiring tribute to an exceptional radiologist who made a lasting impact

      Kim Downey, PT | Conditions
    • The hidden factor in physician burnout: How the climate crisis is contributing to the erosion of well-being

      Elizabeth Cerceo, MD | Physician
    • Proactive risk management: a game-changer in preventing physician burnout

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Empathy and awareness: Unveiling the hidden dangers of food allergies [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The alarming epidemic of physician burnout and how we can combat it

      Tomi Mitchell, MD | Physician
    • A retired physician’s battle with moral injury

      Hayward Zwerling, MD | Physician
    • Unveiling the secrets to effective resuscitation and overcoming obstacles

      Deepak Gupta, MD | Physician
    • Georgia’s new law promoting truth and transparency in health care credentials

      Carmen Kavali, MD | Policy
    • Physician employment contracts: the key to fighting burnout and improving working conditions [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

We need a mental health infrastructure bill
1 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...