US falling short on behavioral health access amid pandemic, GAO analysis suggests

Becker's Healthcare May 3, 2021
Kelly Gooch

Federal data collected during the COVID-19 pandemic suggests that the number of adults reporting symptoms of anxiety or depression has risen, while in-person behavioral health access has decreased, an analysis released April 30 from the Government Accountability Office found.

Seven takeaways from the analysis:

1. CDC survey data collected from April 2020 through February 2021 found that 38 percent of U.S. adults reported symptoms of anxiety or depression, on average, compared to 11 percent from January to June 2019.

2. At the same time, CDC data showed the share of emergency department visits for drug overdoses was 36 percent higher for the period of mid-March through mid-October 2020, compared to the same period the year before.

3....

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