Mental health issues are a concern that’s growing rapidly across the planet. Still, the shortage of access to treatment and mental health professionals leaves millions of people to fend for themselves.
Millions of people will suffer from some sort of neurological or mental disorder at some point in their life. Even just in the US alone, millions of people report a need for different-gender counseling, depression help, OCD assistance and other unmet needs concerning mental health care. Neglecting a mental issue over an extended period of time can truly lead to adverse effects on the person suffering from the disorder and society as a whole. That’s why it’s important to seek out proper healthcare right away. Fortunately, that’s much easier to do with the invention of telehealth services.
With different types of societal issues, like the opioid epidemic, the demand for accessible treatment for substance abuse and mental health treatment is rising daily, especially in areas where these challenges are more common, and access to treatment is difficult. Among the myriad of mental health disorders, including those calling for youth counseling, anxiety disorders seem to be one of the more common ones. Trillions of dollars across the globe are lost each year in economic activity because of things like depression and anxiety, from people missing work and the like.
The unfortunate thing is that a few obstacles keep people who suffer from mental issues from getting the treatment they need. One of those obstacles is the shortage of care as well as access to it. In the US alone, millions of people live in areas that seem to have a shortage of mental health professionals. Nearly half of all of the counties in this country don’t even have a single psychiatrist. And that’s only one obstacle.
Then you have the fear and stigma. Stigma is a term that refers to a fear of shame that can be associated with acknowledging that you suffer from a mental issue to the extent that you need help from a professional. Even though mental health is becoming more widely understood and accepted, the stigma is still there, especially in those places where education about mental health is lacking.
Many people with mental health issues don’t even look for professional help, even though they might consider it effective. Even though most people seem to think treatment can be effective, less than half think that others can be sympathetic towards people suffering from mental issues. Millions of people in the US have some sort of mental illness. However, only about half of them seek professional help.
Currently, the landscape of mental health can seem to be rather bleak. This is especially true when so many people need treatment, but they either don’t have access to it or don’t understand how important it is to seek help. That said, the emergence of telehealth can be seen as a silver lining.
Telehealth is actually assisting with making a variety of services, including mental health, more accessible throughout the entire country and the world. However, many people still don’t know how or are skeptical about using it.
The use of telehealth has been around since the 1990s. That said, with COVID-19 affecting the planet, it’s recently having a massive gain in traction. Many health professionals, along with the general public, are realizing just how critical it is to have the option to provide and receive services virtually, especially in areas more rural where access to services is generally not available. As it grows, Americans are enjoying easy access to health care for the first time in decades for many of them.