Self-Pay Outpatient Mental Health Care for Children and Adolescents, by Socioeconomic Status.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Many parents struggle to find mental health care for their children, and many mental health clinicians do not accept insurance payments. The authors aimed to estimate the frequency and cost of self-pay psychotherapy and psychotropic medication management visits for youths and to determine how service use varies by family income.

Methods

A descriptive cross-sectional analysis was performed among youths ages 5-17 years in the 2018-2020 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. Specialist visits included those with psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and mental health counselors or family therapists.

Results

Approximately one in five of 13,639 outpatient mental health specialist visits were self-pay, with psychologists (23% of visits) and social workers (24%

SUBMITTER: Overhage LN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11366487 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature