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 shortage of mental health professionals, leaving them underserved and unable to access the care they need. Overall, the U.S. may require an additional 31,000 psychiatrists in the coming decades to meet demands, while current access is further curtailed by the high portion of psychiatrists who only accept self-pay.
Unfortunately, this shortage of therapists is leading to long wait times that can span months, while vulnerable populations are disproportionately affected, further exacerbating existing disparities in mental health care. The need to consider evidence-based strategies outside the traditional care paradigms has never been greater.
Digital Mental Health Tools have Become a Scalable Part of the Solution
As the demand for mental health services continues to surpass supply, alternative approaches have emerged to bridge the gap. There are many evidence-based digital programs that can deliver mental health support without requiring a therapist, significantly shortening wait times and allowing patients to begin making positive changes immediately once a need is identified. Digital CBT is one of the most studied interventions in the space, and clinical trials have shown that these types of programs can substantially reduce symptoms of depression more than individuals who were placed on a waitlist, and many health insurers are beginning to cover such programs.
Digital health can also make it easier to access a therapist through electronic avenues. Tele-therapy has been shown to be very effective compared to in-person therapy, and this is an appealing option for the millions of Americans who live in areas where there simply isn’t a therapist available locally. Using tele-therapy to match supply and demand for therapy, individuals who need and desire a therapist can quickly get connected with one.
These digital innovations are coming at a time when the population is more receptive to these new options. Solera’s Mental Health Index revealed that a significant portion of the population is open to alternatives beyond formal therapy and medications when it comes to addressing mental health concerns. In fact, most individuals experiencing mental health symptoms reported a preference for self-guided digital programs over therapist-led interventions.
With this in mind, it’s no surprise to see that digital mental health tools are beginning to gain traction as an effective and scalable part of the mental health care toolkit, breaking down barriers to access and extending mental health support to a broader population than ever. One of the biggest advantages of digital mental health tools is their convenience and accessibility. With just a smartphone or an internet connection, people can access mental health resources when and where they need them, without having to travel or deal with long wait times. Plus, these tools aren’t available only during office hours, so individuals can engage with treatments at their own pace and on their own terms.
Meanwhile, while traditional mental health services are limited by the number of available therapists and their capacity to serve patients, digital mental health tools can be implemented on a larger scale while maintaining quality. For cases where traditional in-person therapy is the best course of action, digital tools can serve as an important complement — providing additional support and resources to extend care beyond scheduled appointments. Integrating digital solutions into traditional care models creates a more holistic and continuous approach to mental health support, empowering individuals to take charge of their own wellbeing, in a way that’s accessible to their needs.
Personalizing Mental Healthcare to Meet Diverse Needs
As mental health care has evolved, we’ve come to realize that one-size-fits-all mental health interventions won’t work to meet the unique needs of individuals and the needs of the population at large. Everyone’s mental health journey is different, shaped by a myriad of influences, including genetics, upbringing, personal experiences, and social factors like economic status, education, and occupation. By personalizing mental health care through the expansion of digital interventions, we’re able to acknowledge the diversity of these factors — and the differing acuity of symptoms from person to person—to develop more effective treatment plans, tailored to each individual’s circumstances and needs.
As healthcare looks for solutions beyond the traditional recommendations of therapy and medication, personalized mental health care should include a combination of therapy modalities, self-help tools, digital interventions, and behavioral adjustments to suit each person’s preferences and deliver care in the way that works best for them.
In particular, digital mental health tools excel in delivering personalized treatments, tailored to the individual. Through data-driven insights and algorithms, these tools can respond to user behavior to serve up customized content that truly resonates. This level of personalization can be quite powerful as individuals are far more likely to stay engaged in their mental health journey when they feel the resources they have access to are specifically designed for their needs. By meeting individuals where they are, addressing their particular challenges and goals, as well as the unique range and severity of their symptoms, we can succeed in delivering more effective care and, most importantly, achieving better outcomes.
The Future of Mental Health Care
As we navigate the post-pandemic era, the future of mental health care presents significant challenges as well as exciting opportunities for transformation. Personalization and digital mental health tools stand at the forefront of this revolution, reshaping how mental health services are delivered and accessed. By embracing personalized, data-driven, and digitally-enabled tools, we can create a mental health care system that is more inclusive, more accessible, and more resilient — empowering people to live better lives through better mental health.
About Dr. Byron Crowe
Dr. Byron Crowe is the Chief Medical Officer at Solera Health, a practicing internist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, and a faculty member at Harvard Medical School. As an expert in digital health innovation and human-centered design, he oversees clinical program development for Solera’s suite of physical, mental, and social health solutions available to millions of patients nationwide. He has spoken nationally and internationally on healthcare quality and value, and his work has been featured in BMJ Quality & Safety, Journal of Hospital Medicine, and JAMA Internal Medicine. He is a graduate of Emory University School of Medicine and completed his internal medicine residency at the University of Colorado. In his free time, he enjoys triathlon, space history, and mountaineering.
