The Impact of COVID-19 on Access to Mental Healthcare Services

Benjamin Harrell (), Luca Fumarco, Patrick Button (), David J. Schwegman () and Kyla Denwood
Additional contact information
Benjamin Harrell: Trinity University
David J. Schwegman: American University
Kyla Denwood: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

No 16162, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

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 the pandemic impacted access to mental health services. Using data from an audit field experiment, we examine the impact of COVID-19 on access to mental health care appointments in the United States. This experiment ran from January to May 2020 and overlapped with the initial onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. 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.

Keywords: mental health care; audit; COVID-19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C93 I11 I14 I18 J15 J16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 7 pages
Date: 2023-05
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hea
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Published - published in: AEA Papers and Proceedings , 2023, 113, 420 - 422

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Related works:
Journal Article: The Impact of COVID-19 on Access to Mental Health Care Services (2023)
Working Paper: The Impact of COVID-19 on Access to Mental Healthcare Services (2023)
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