Doing Nothing Isn't a Choice: Fix the COVID-Exposed Fissures in Mental Health Care ( by Thaipresses.blogspot.com)
Doing Nothing Isn't a Choice: Fix the COVID-Exposed Fissures in Mental Health Care
In order to expand mental health services, states also should work swiftly to join the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact, or – an interstate compact that allows psychologists to see patients who live in across state lines. This would allow patients who do not have access to care due to their location or need for a psychologist specialized in PICS to receive treatment.
I work at an institution, for example, that services many residents who live in neighboring states. But even though the state I practice in is a member of PSYPAC T, his means some patients must drive across state lines so I can provide treatment. I recently worked with a COVID long-hauler who, with the assistance of a friend, drove four hours round-trip for treatment. She lived in a rural area and was desperate for care. We collaborated on a treatment plan to minimize the frequency of her travel, but this would not have been necessary if she lived in a PSYPACT state.
To reduce stigma, assess for psychological distress, and to provide education to patients and other providers regarding signs and symptoms of emotional changes, it also is essential to integrate psychologists and other mental health care providers into primary care and where COVID long-haulers and other survivors of critical illness inevitably will have follow-up visits. Health care providers can no longer work in silos, and must move toward interdisciplinary care in medicine, particularly as COVID continues.
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Perhaps most importantly, we need more mental health providers, particularly those who are trained in and psychology – specialties that focus on evaluating and treating psychological distress in individuals who’ve experienced acute or chronic illness and injury. These psychologists are also uniquely trained to work on these interdisciplinary teams.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted a number of disparities and inequities across the world, including a lack of access to mental health treatment in the U.S. If this problem is not fixed, there will be another pandemic of survivors of critical illness who are struggling physically and emotionally.
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