Going Beyond Waitlists in Mental Healthcare

Managing waitlists for outpatient mental health services particularly in community health settings is difficult to standardize, poses an administrative burden, and are barriers rather than gateways to access to care particularly for low-income communities. While telehealth has initially expanded acc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Community mental health journal 2024-05, Vol.60 (4), p.629-634
Main Author: Tran, Quang D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Access
Attachment theory
Community and Environmental Psychology
Community health
Community resources
COVID-19
Efficacy
Fresh Focus
Health care access
Health services
Humans
Interconnections
Low income areas
Low income groups
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Mental health care
Mental Health Services
Pandemics
Patients
Psychiatry
Suicides & suicide attempts
Telemedicine
Waiting Lists
Waiting times
Citations: Items that this one cites
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Description
Summary:Managing waitlists for outpatient mental health services particularly in community health settings is difficult to standardize, poses an administrative burden, and are barriers rather than gateways to access to care particularly for low-income communities. While telehealth has initially expanded access to mental healthcare at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has not resolved the challenges associated with the increasing demand for services and the shortage of available providers. This commentary explores the intricate interconnections between wait times, readiness for and appropriateness of therapy, and engagement in treatment. Drawing on insights from waiting line theory to question the attachment to and utility of waitlists for non-emergency, outpatient mental healthcare, this commentary questions the utility and efficacy of waitlists. Alternative solutions that capitalize on community resources and collaboration and harness patients’ agency for change are discussed.
ISSN:0010-3853
1573-2789
DOI:10.1007/s10597-024-01233-2