Michael E. Johansen, MD, MS; Kelsey Sicker, MD
Corresponding Author: Michael Johansen, MD, MS; OhioHealth - Grant Family Medicine.
Contact Email: mikejoha3@gmail.com
Section: Brief Report
Publication Date: TBD
BACKGROUND: Rates of individuals with a psychotherapy visit has not been well studied and recent reports lack granularity by age.
METHODS: The 2017-2019 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) was used to investigate rates and associations of psychotherapy and psychiatry visits by age/sex and anti-depressant/anti-psychotic use.
RESULTS: The study included all 90,853 individuals, of which 5.2% (95%CI:4.9-5.4) reported any psychotherapy (excluding psychiatry visits) visit during a year, while 3.6% (95%CI:3.4-3.8) reported a visit with a psychiatrist. Females were more likely to have a psychotherapy visit than males after 15 years of age. The highest rates of females with a psychotherapy visit were between 15 and 30 years of age, while rates amongst males were highest between 10-25 years of age. For psychiatry visits, males had higher rates than females during pre-teen years, similar rates through teen years, lower rates though adulthood, and similar rates after 60 years of age. Rates of a psychiatry visit did not vary as much by age as a psychotherapy visit. Among anti-depressant or anti-psychotic medication users, the rate of either a psychotherapy visit or a psychiatry visit during a year was markedly higher at younger ages and decreased as age advanced.
CONCLUSION: Psychotherapy and psychiatry utilization have differences in population level patterns with use being highest amongst females between 15-30 years of age and higher amongst younger (compared to older) individuals who reported anti-depressants or anti-psychotics.