Relationships between Mental Health Treatment and Medical Utilization among Low-Income Mexican American Patients

Mental Health/Medical Care Cost Offsets: Opportunities For Managed Care

“…In underserved populations, providing mental health treatment may lead at first to an appropriate increase, rather than a decrease, in use of medical care services, as previously unmet needs for medical care become identified. 4 n Mental health status and use of medical services. A substantial body of evidence indicates that poor mental health status often is associated with poor physical health and elevated use of medical care.…”

Insight into reduced use of medical services after psychotherapy.

“…The higher mental health utilizer could be learning a different lesson about the value of continued contact with a health care professional. Indeed, in a study of medically underserued Mexican Americans receiving care at a neighborhood health center (McHugh, Kahn, & Heiman, 1977) it was found that patients began to use much higher levels of medical care services after psychotherapy.…”

Measuring costs of guideline-driven mental health care: the Texas Medication Algorithm Project

“…[63][64][65][66][67][68][69] Third, patients in clinical environments who use specialty mental health care tend to use fewer general medical care services, including outpatient visits, 70 inpatient days 71 and peak use of primary care services, 72 and at lower general medical costs. 73,74 Fourth, clinical observers report reductions in use of general medical care following use of mental health care, [75][76][77] treatment for undiagnosed panic disorder 78 and psychotherapy, 79 while others have reported no change, 63 or an increase 80 in general medical care following use of mental health services. Finally, the effectiveness of general medical care may be influenced by psychiatric status.…”