The latest installment of the #PWChat series centered around the status of mental healthcare in the United States.
Below are the highlights from the chat. You can read the full transcript here, by scrolling through the questions and answers provided by participants in reverse chronological order.
Welcome to the latest #PWChat, with co-hosts @jean_twenge & @DrLindaMD on the status of #MentalHealth in the US.
Our plan is to go until 3pm EST, officially, but let’s keep the convo going well after! pic.twitter.com/Hi2zR0RHKo
— Physician’s Weekly (@physicianswkly) March 25, 2021
Q1: What trends in #MentalHealth were you seeing prior to the #COVID19 #pandemic, and what are the implications of these trends on mental health going forward?#PWChat pic.twitter.com/AElX2QWo5V
— Physician’s Weekly (@physicianswkly) March 25, 2021
Wow! That’s horrific.
Is it increasing across all demographics – gender, race, etc. or clustering in specific groups?#pwchat— Matthew Loxton (@mloxton) March 25, 2021
Thanks.
At the risk of blowing one of Chris’s next questions, what are you seeing as the primary drivers of the increase in girls?#pwchat— Matthew Loxton (@mloxton) March 25, 2021
It’s very hard to say for sure, but a good case can be made for social media & smartphones having a bigger impact on girls’ mental health. Also explains why the increase began around 2012. #PWChat More here: https://t.co/knpt1Wdbjr
— Jean Twenge (@jean_twenge) March 25, 2021
We need schools & parents to start teaching kids more functional skills and coping mechanisms. We need to facilitate dialogue and remove barriers to accessing care. Schools also need to take a hard stand on harassment & abuse. Kids need to know they have mental health rights too.
— MsWinTheClouds (@win_clouds) March 25, 2021
Lack of access, or something else? #pwchat
— Matthew Loxton (@mloxton) March 25, 2021
Ugh.
I guess most countries limit the number of providers in some way or other, but insurance hurdles seem to be a uniquely US cause of harm#pwchat— Matthew Loxton (@mloxton) March 25, 2021
A1. Also, insurance coverage for available services is also lacking. When services are available, many people simply can’t afford it. #PWchat https://t.co/I9gQQSdOhL
— Linda Girgis MD (@DrLindaMD) March 25, 2021
Yes. We can’t fix our #opioidcrisis until we deal with #mentalhealth. Can’t say it enough times #MentalHealthMatters
— Julie Kanter (@jkw4444) March 25, 2021
and losing great social workers to lack of professional support and caregiver fatigue is equally frustrating. We must remove the stigma around mental health & clinicians and we need to actually show staff they are valued as well as valuable. #PWChats
— MsWinTheClouds (@win_clouds) March 25, 2021
Q2: Many patients have experienced trouble for years getting the help they need due to a lack of available #MentalHealth services? What factors play into this lack of services, and what can be done to overcome this obstacle?#PWChat pic.twitter.com/ldkZbJPbfF
— Physician’s Weekly (@physicianswkly) March 25, 2021
Agree. Currently, I don’t think there is a lot of incentive to go into this field. We need to incentivize it. #PWchat
— Linda Girgis MD (@DrLindaMD) March 25, 2021
100%, we need to increase slots. I believe this has persisted because AMA and ACGME continue to see psychiatry as an unimportant sub-specialty instead of crucial to the future of whole care. #PWChat
— Shereese Maynard, MS; MBA 😷 (@ShereeseMayMba) March 25, 2021
A2 Example, In 2020, there were 1858 opening for psychiatric residencies. We had 2486 med student apply for those spots. In reality the available slots are far less than the actual need. This is a problem. Couple this with racial disparities & we have a big problem #PWChat
— Shereese Maynard, MS; MBA 😷 (@ShereeseMayMba) March 25, 2021
Q3: Many patients—and even #healthcare professionals themselves—don’t receive the #MentalHealth care they need/deserve due to #stigma surrounding mental health in public and in the workplace, respectively. How can we address this issue?#PWChat pic.twitter.com/s2B4SjplWW
— Physician’s Weekly (@physicianswkly) March 25, 2021
Is mental health in physicians treated by the accreditation boards, employers, and schools similarly to physical health, or are physicians and students penalized for revealing MH injuries?#pwchat
— Matthew Loxton (@mloxton) March 25, 2021
Good point.#PWChat
— Linda Girgis MD (@DrLindaMD) March 25, 2021
Q4: Who have you seen experience (& not experience) increased #anxiety and/or #depression during the #COVID19 pandemic, and why do you think some have been more impacted than others?#PWChat pic.twitter.com/mNM4eaJKFO
— Physician’s Weekly (@physicianswkly) March 25, 2021
Yes, and even people with high ranking positions where they worked lost their jobs as well. I found they took it very hard. #PWChat
— Linda Girgis MD (@DrLindaMD) March 25, 2021
Also, some with high anxiety might not have felt any increase simply b/c they’ve been planning for the worst w/multiple contingencies pretty much as soon as any new idea has been introduced and is even remotely questionable. There’s a reason @howiemandel acted immediately 1/
— MsWinTheClouds (@win_clouds) March 25, 2021
Q4: Younger adults and parents showed the biggest increases in mental distress between 2018 and April 2020. #PWChat https://t.co/9O2FcT08zl
— Jean Twenge (@jean_twenge) March 25, 2021
A4. I’ve seen it more in the elderly, those who’ve lost jobs, kids & teens, mothers w/ their kids schooling at home, those working outside the home…pretty much the full spectrum. Many factors paly into it but I think not knowing what’s going to happen is a major impact. #PWchat https://t.co/nFw9ehRACq
— Linda Girgis MD (@DrLindaMD) March 25, 2021
Older adults were impacted the most by COVID in terms of physical health & isolation, but (interestingly) they did not show as much mental distress, anxiety, or depression as younger people. #PWChat
— Jean Twenge (@jean_twenge) March 25, 2021
Q4: Older adults may have been less economically impacted and more likely to have the attitude that “this too shall pass.” They’ve already lived through a lot. #PWChat Lower anx&dep in older adults is a consistent finding:https://t.co/Qrc9YoXzLv
— Jean Twenge (@jean_twenge) March 25, 2021
A4 We all have anxiety over the unknown but I believe more vulnerable pops experience greater anxiety because the are acutely aware if society ‘s substandard treatment of them. #PWChat
— Shereese Maynard, MS; MBA 😷 (@ShereeseMayMba) March 25, 2021
Q5: How have #anxiety & #depression tracked with national events and #COVID19 cases?#PWChat pic.twitter.com/qGiUnM2F7o
— Physician’s Weekly (@physicianswkly) March 25, 2021
Q5: In the U.S. Census Household Pulse Survey, anxiety & depression rose in early June during the racial justice protests, in early Nov. around the election, and during the late fall and winter as COVID cases surged. #PWChat https://t.co/Qrc9YoXzLv
— Jean Twenge (@jean_twenge) March 25, 2021
Q6: How can we address the #MentalHealth issues brought on by the #COVID19 pandemic among patients, including fear of infection and the effects of isolation due to staying at home? Do you see these issues having long-term effects?#PWChat pic.twitter.com/BD0bddcQiT
— Physician’s Weekly (@physicianswkly) March 25, 2021
Yes, and young kids as well.#PWchat
— Linda Girgis MD (@DrLindaMD) March 25, 2021
There are a range of long-term mental health, social, work-family-home-life effects expected across society. Here is an interesting report with a 10-year span: https://t.co/m9pGaK68SX
— Dr. Jeanette Ashworth (@JAshworthPhD) March 25, 2021
Getting people to follow public health guidelines across states, the U.S. and globally has been a challenge. People want to resume activities. Finding safe outlets is critical. #PWChat
— Dr. Jeanette Ashworth (@JAshworthPhD) March 25, 2021
A6. As a physician, I have to keep asking and listening. Many people don’t bring this up unless asked. Also, many of these people are also grieving loved ones lost to COVID. I try to ask these questions at every visit. #Pwchat https://t.co/QPKiyqzF8q
— Linda Girgis MD (@DrLindaMD) March 25, 2021
Q7: How can we address the #MentalHealth issues (ie, “burnout”) brought on by the #COVID19 pandemic among #healthcare professionals, including increased workloads, fear of transmission from close contact in infected patients, etc?#PWChat pic.twitter.com/1YbCaxqAUh
— Physician’s Weekly (@physicianswkly) March 25, 2021
A7 It will only be solved by the sum of a thousand smaller cures – improvements to time off, culture around personal illness, #scicomm, & trust in experts; combating microaggressions/bigotry (b/w HCWs & with patients), closing wage gaps, increased time per patient, etc. #PWchat
— Amar Kelkar MD (@amarkelkar) March 25, 2021
The vaccines are already creating a shift for so many. In workplaces, organizations still need to make PPE a priority for healthcare professionals and staff, and be mindful of well-being, overwork risks, etc. Additional hiring when needed. #PWChat
— Dr. Jeanette Ashworth (@JAshworthPhD) March 25, 2021
Yes, and maybe less Press-Ganey, and more sitting down and asking#pwchat
— Matthew Loxton (@mloxton) March 25, 2021
That’s such a great point. People can be surveyed out. Important to have a culture where people see strategies and ideas truly attempted or implemented. Some organizations have underutilized employee wellness programs.
— Dr. Jeanette Ashworth (@JAshworthPhD) March 25, 2021
Healthcare professionals and the general public can still be at risk, due to delays in grieving, direct or vicarious trauma from the past year or anything new, so ongoing awareness and planning strategies will continue to be needed.
— Dr. Jeanette Ashworth (@JAshworthPhD) March 25, 2021
Q8: What steps must be taken on the state and/or national level to increase access to mental healthcare? How do we increase psychiatrist/psychologist numbers? How do we get them to accept more insurance types again? Etc…#PWChat
— Physician’s Weekly (@physicianswkly) March 25, 2021
A8. We need to train more practitioners for this field. We need better insurance coverage. We need to educate people on what mental diseases really are. #PWChat https://t.co/BvinpmcKbY
— Linda Girgis MD (@DrLindaMD) March 25, 2021
We’re “officially” out of time, but let’s keep the convo going.
Thanks to all who joined today’s #PWChat on the status of #MentalHealth in the US.
Special thanks to co-hosts @jean_twenge & @DrLindaMD! pic.twitter.com/zDDZOeYyhF
— Physician’s Weekly (@physicianswkly) March 25, 2021
