(Not) Talking Through Mental Health Problems: How Talk Therapy Impacts Healthcare Utilization, Health and Employment

Roger Prudon ()
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Roger Prudon: Lancaster University

No 18773, IZA Discussion Papers from IZA Network @ LISER

Abstract: To increase the uptake of mental health care and reduce the burden of mental health, many countries have introduced programs offering easily accessible talk therapy. Despite their widespread introduction and continued expansion, causal evidence on these programs' effectiveness is lacking. I estimate the impact of a Dutch program that introduced talk therapy provided by nurse practitioners at GP practices nationwide. The reform increased talk therapy uptake by 6 percentage points among individuals seeking care but also widened existing disparities in care utilization. The increased take-up of talk therapy did not significantly improve the health and employment outcomes of patients.

Keywords: mental health care; talk therapy; employment; health care inequalities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I1 J08 J22 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-07
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