Therapy has resulted in a 62% decrease in depression symptoms and a 44% reduction in anxiety symptoms for youths in a pilot program by Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego, officials said.
The hospital released the results of the program, which provides mental health care to children and adolescents through embedding mental health clinicians in pediatric primary care practices for easy, same-day access in most cases.
The preliminary results of the program were published in a recent issue of Frontiers in Psychiatry.
The pediatric mental health crisis continues to grow at an exponential rate. The American Academy of Pediatrics declared the mental health crisis among children and teens a national emergency, while a recent study from the Journal of the American Medical Association found that emergency department visits among children, adolescents and young adults for mental health reasons rose about 50%, from 4.8 million to 7.5 million from 2011 to 2020.
“The difficult truth is that children and adolescents often do not receive mental health care when they need it,” said Domonique Hensler, senior director of systemwide care at Rady Children’s, a co-author of the study. “The need for effective, accessible treatment is more pressing than ever. Our interdisciplinary, team-based approach to pediatric mental health care has been shown to be efficacious, accessible and cost-effective.”
Under the Rady Children’s Transforming Mental Health model, established in 2020, primary care providers screen children and adolescents for potential mental health issues during regular visits, such as annual wellness checks.
Children and teens identified as struggling with depression or anxiety or in the beginning stages of a mental health concern can speak to a mental health professional in the same office often on the same day. A more typical health care experience leaves it up to families to navigate through a list of unfamiliar mental health resources to arrange care on their own, often with wait times exceeding several months.
“With the integrated care model, the pediatrician can literally walk down the hall and introduce the family to the therapist right there in the office,” said Dr. Benjamin Maxwell, MD, division chief of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at Rady Children’s and an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at UC San Diego School of Medicine. “Families are already coming to a place that they trust, which enhances continuity of care and ultimately better outcomes.”
Eleven primary care sites and four regional support hubs in the San Diego and Riverside regions participate in the program. Routine depression screenings begin at age 12 while other individualized evaluation methods are utilized for younger ages.
Primary care providers receive training on the integrated care model and are offered a three-day, in-depth training on the assessment and treatment of common mental health conditions with six monthly follow-ups. So far more than 200 providers have completed a fellowship on the program.
“By integrating mental and behavioral health services in pediatric primary care settings, we’re helping to break through the biggest barrier to treatment – access to care,” said Dr. Patrick Frias, president & CEO of Rady Children’s. “We’re incredibly encouraged by the results of the program and believe this model has the potential to become the standard of care nationwide.”