Half of US Teens With Depression Lack Access to Care

TOPLINE:

Less than half of US adolescents with major depressive episode (MDE) received treatment for the condition, with Black, male, and rural participants having significantly lower odds of receiving specialist care than their peers, a new study showed. Additionally, insurance coverage strongly affected access to telehealth services.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers analyzed data from the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which was conducted in all 50 US states and the District of Columbia.

• The analysis included more than 2000 adolescents aged 12-17 years (71% girls, 54% White and 12% Black individuals, 58% from large urban areas) who met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, criteria for MDE in the past year.

• Main outcomes included the use of various types of mental health services, such as treatment by a specialist clinician, prescription medication, and telehealth services.

• Disparities in the use of services were assessed while adjusting for rurality, race or ethnicity, sex, age, health insurance coverage, and poverty level.

TAKEAWAY:

• Overall, 48% of participants received any mental health treatment; 39% received treatment by a specialist clinician, 25% received prescription medication, 31% used school-based services, and 35% used telehealth services.

• Rural adolescents had significantly lower odds of receiving specialist treatment (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.6) or telehealth services (aOR, 0.6) than urban adolescents (P < .05 for both); participants with private insurance (aOR, 3.3) or public insurance (aOR, 3.4) were significantly more likely to use telehealth services than those with no insurance (P < .05 for both).

• Black adolescents had markedly lower odds of receiving any mental health treatment (aOR, 0.4), treatment by a specialist clinician (aOR, 0.4), and prescription medication (aOR, 0.3) than non-Hispanic White adolescents (P < .05 for all).

• Girls had higher odds than boys of receiving any mental health treatment (aOR, 1.6), treatment by a specialist clinician (aOR, 1.52), and prescription medication (aOR, 1.5) than boys (P < .05 for all).

IN PRACTICE:

“Our findings continue to illustrate the persisting inequity in mental health treatment among adolescents from marginalized groups,” the investigators wrote.

“Policy and clinical initiatives should be informed by further research into how cultural and systemic factors influence the utilization of mental health services and help-seeking behaviors in race/ethnic minority populations,” they added.

Note: This article originally appeared on Medscape.