The Impact of COVID-19 on Access to Mental Health Care Services

Benjamin Harrell, Luca Fumarco, Patrick Button (), David J. Schwegman and Kyla Denwood

AEA Papers and Proceedings, 2023, vol. 113, 420-22

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic increased the rate of mental health disorders, as well as demand for mental health services. It remains unclear, however, the extent to which it impacted access to mental health care. Using data from an audit field experiment, which ran from January to May 2020 and overlapped with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we examine the impact of COVID-19 on access to mental health care appointments in the United States. We find that increased intensity of COVID-19—measured by daily cases, daily fatalities, and weekly excess deaths—is associated with decreased access to mental health care appointments.

JEL-codes: C93 I12 I18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Working Paper: The Impact of COVID-19 on Access to Mental Healthcare Services (2023)
Working Paper: The Impact of COVID-19 on Access to Mental Healthcare Services (2023)
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DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20231058

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