Online therapy boom mainly benefited privileged groups, studies show

The number of Americans receiving psychotherapy increased by 30% during the pandemic as virtual sessions replaced in-person appointments – but new research dampens hopes that technology will make mental health care more accessible to the most needy populations.

In fact, the researchers found, the shift to teletherapy exacerbated existing disparities.

The increase in psychotherapy occurred among groups that already had greater access: people in higher income brackets, living in cities, with stable employment and more education, discovered benefits. researchers in a series of studies, the most recent of which was published Wednesday in The American Journal of Psychiatry.

Among those who did not benefit from the boom, the team found, were children from low-income families, black children and adolescents, and adults suffering from “severe psychological distress.”

“I think the whole system of care — and perhaps Internet delivery is part of it — seems to be moving away from those who need it most,” said Dr. Mark Olfson, a professor of psychiatry at the center. Irving Medical Center at Columbia University and the lead author of the Access to Care Studies.

“We are seeing that those who are most distressed are losing ground in terms of their chances of being treated, and that to me is a very important and disconcerting trend,” he added.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. In the 1990s, teletherapy was championed as a way to reach disadvantaged patients living in remote areas where there were few psychiatrists. A decade later, it was touted as a more accessible alternative to face-to-face sessions that could radically reduce barriers to care.