Overall, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Was Most
Common Mental Health Diagnosis in 2023; among Patients Aged 0-13
Years, ADHD Was Most Common
Mental Health Diagnoses Increased in All Age
Groups and in All States
NEW YORK,
April 29,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Nationally, the share of
patients with mental health diagnoses rose 39.8 percent, from 13.5
percent of patients who received medical services in 2019 to 18.9
percent in 2023. Overall, the most common mental health diagnosis
in 2023 was generalized anxiety disorder, but among patients aged
0-13 years, it was attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
These and other findings are reported in a FAIR Health white paper
released today: Trends in Mental Health Conditions: An Analysis
of Private Healthcare Claims.
Mental health conditions may seriously affect cognition,
emotional regulation and behavior. To provide needed data on recent
trends in mental health conditions and receipt of mental
healthcare, FAIR Health delved into its repository of over 46
billion private healthcare claim records, the nation's largest such
database. This study focuses on trends in utilization of mental
health services from 2019 to 2023, including such aspects as
geography, age, gender, in-network services, places of service,
specialties and the prevalence of substance use disorders among
those with mental health conditions.
Other key findings, all for the period from 2019 to 2023, unless
otherwise specified, include the following:
- Among the four US census regions, the Midwest had both the
largest increase in the percentage of patients with mental health
diagnoses during the study period (47.0 percent) and the largest
percentage of patients with mental health diagnoses in 2023 (21.3
percent).
- After generalized anxiety disorder, the most common mental
health diagnoses in 2023—as measured by the percentage of patients
with these diagnoses out of all patients who received medical
services in that year—were major depressive disorder, ADHD,
adjustment disorders and bipolar disorder. In all five cases, the
percentage of patients increased from 2019 to 2023. The largest
increase (70.4 percent) was for patients diagnosed with ADHD, which
rose from fourth most common mental health diagnosis in 2019 (1.8
percent of patients) to third most common in 2023 (3.1
percent).
- The percentage of claim lines associated with mental health
diagnoses increased 30.5 percent nationally, from 3.8 percent of
medical claim lines in 2019 to 5.0 percent in 2023. (A claim line
is an individual service or procedure listed on an insurance
claim.)
- The percentage of claim lines associated with mental health
diagnoses compared to all medical claim lines increased in all
states. The five states with the largest growth were Georgia, Connecticut, Hawaii, Montana and Nevada. The five states with the smallest
increases were Ohio, New Mexico, Maine, Indiana and Massachusetts.
- The percentage of patients with mental health diagnoses
increased across all age groups, but the increase varied by age
group. The largest increase was in those aged 65 and over (57.4
percent from 2019 to 2023).
- In 2023, for all age groups older than 13, the most commonly
diagnosed mental health condition was generalized anxiety
disorder.
- Females made up a higher percentage of patients with mental
health diagnoses than males did in all except the youngest patients
(ages 0-13). Though the percentage of both male and female patients
with mental health diagnoses increased during the study period,
females showed the larger increase: 44.6 percent, compared to 32.7
percent for males.
- The national percentage of in-network claim lines associated
with mental health diagnoses increased. The sharpest rise was in
the last quarter of 2023, when the percentage of claim lines rose
from 90.2 to 92.2 percent.
- The percentage of claim lines for offices as a place of service
for mental health-related visits decreased 39.8 percent, while the
percentage of claim lines for telehealth increased 5,123.4
percent from 2019 to 2023. Offices remained the most common place
of service for mental health-related visits for every year in the
study period except 2021, when telehealth was the most common.
- Several nonphysician specialties increased their share of
mental health diagnosis claim lines, including social workers,
nurse practitioners, psychiatric nurses, physician assistants and
registered nurses, while the share of claim lines for psychiatrists
decreased.
- Of patients with a mental health diagnosis, 15.7 percent also
had a substance use disorder during the study period. Only 5.6
percent of patients without a mental health diagnosis had a
substance use disorder.
FAIR Health President Robin
Gelburd stated: "The findings in this report have
implications for stakeholders across the healthcare spectrum,
including patients with mental health conditions and the providers
who treat them, as well as payors and policy makers. We hope that
these findings will also be starting points for further research on
mental health conditions."
For the complete white paper, click here.
Follow us on X @FAIRHealth
About FAIR Health
FAIR Health is a national,
independent nonprofit organization that qualifies as a public
charity under section 501(c)(3) of the federal tax code. It is
dedicated to bringing transparency to healthcare costs and health
insurance information through data products, consumer resources and
health systems research support. FAIR Health possesses the nation's
largest collection of private healthcare claims data, which
includes over 46 billion claim records and is growing at a rate of
over 3 billion claim records a year. FAIR Health licenses its
privately billed data and data products—including benchmark
modules, data visualizations, custom analytics and market
indices—to commercial insurers and self-insurers, employers,
providers, hospitals and healthcare systems, government agencies,
researchers and others. Certified by the Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS) as a national Qualified Entity, FAIR Health
also receives data representing the experience of all individuals
enrolled in traditional Medicare Parts A, B and D, which accounts
for a separate collection of over 47 billion claim records; FAIR
Health includes among the private claims data in its database, data
on Medicare Advantage enrollees. FAIR Health can produce insightful
analytic reports and data products based on combined Medicare and
commercial claims data for government, providers, payors and other
authorized users. FAIR Health's systems for processing and storing
protected health information have earned HITRUST CSF certification
and achieved AICPA SOC 2 Type 2 compliance by meeting the rigorous
data security requirements of these standards. As a testament to
the reliability and objectivity of FAIR Health data, the data have
been incorporated in statutes and regulations around the country
and designated as the official, neutral data source for a variety
of state health programs, including workers' compensation and
personal injury protection (PIP) programs. FAIR Health data serve
as an official reference point in support of certain state balance
billing laws that protect consumers against bills for surprise
out-of-network and emergency services. FAIR Health also uses its
database to power a free consumer website available in English and
Spanish, which enables consumers to estimate and plan for their
healthcare expenditures and offers a rich educational platform on
health insurance. An English/Spanish mobile app offers the same
educational platform in a concise format and links to the cost
estimation tools. The website has been honored by the White House
Summit on Smart Disclosure, the Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality (AHRQ), URAC, the eHealthcare Leadership Awards, appPicker,
Employee Benefit News and Kiplinger's Personal
Finance. For more information on FAIR Health, visit
fairhealth.org.
Contact:
Rachel
Kent
Executive Director of Communications and Marketing
FAIR Health
646-396-0795
rkent@fairhealth.org
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SOURCE FAIR Health