New Study Published on JAMA Network Finds Connection Between Mental Illness and Unmet Social Needs Among Seniors

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Dec 07, 2022, 08:01 ET

Comprehensive Report Looked at 56,000 Senior-Aged Americans Located Nationwide, 50% experiencing at least one health-related social need including food insecurity, financial strain and housing instability

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A new study of 56,000 senior Americans published on JAMA Network, the online publication of the Journal of the American Medical Association, has found the prevalence and risks associated with health-related social needs, including food insecurity and inadequate housing, and mental illness.

Matthew Ruble, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Discovery Behavioral Health

In this large cohort study of Medicare Advantage enrollees with and without mental illness, 38.6% had at least 1 mental illness diagnosis, 54.0% had a health-related social need (HRSN), and 25.3% had both mental illness and an HRSN in the past year. The association of mental illness with the presence of HRSNs was most substantial among those with both serious and persistent mental illness.

"The need to address mental health is serious in the U.S., where 1 in 5 adults experiences mental illness each year and 11.2 million adults live with a serious mental illness These findings suggest that basic social needs, such as safe housing and food security, remain challenging in one of the most vulnerable populations," says Matthew Ruble, M.D., one of the study's co-authors. Dr. Ruble currently serves as the Chief Medical Officer of Discovery Behavioral Health, an expanding network of 160 evidence-based mental health, substance use and eating disorder treatment centers located nationwide.

HRSNs addressed in the study included financial strain, food insecurity, housing instability, severe loneliness, transportation problems and utility affordability. Compared with the general population, those with mental illness have higher morbidity and mortality, and those with serious mental illness die a decade earlier. These premature deaths reflect not only higher rates of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease, but unmet social needs that emerge from stigma, isolation, and homelessness.

"Increasing mental illness–related deaths nationwide suggest that the number of individuals in the U.S. concurrently dealing with social and mental problems has increased—and likely will continue to increase—unless new strategies are implemented to simultaneously address social needs, physical health, and mental health," says Dr. Ruble.

Although many individuals in the U.S. have HRSNs, those with mental illness are at particularly high risk. For example, mental illness has been found to have implications for financial insecurity, both directly and indirectly. Compared with individuals with no, mild, or moderate disease, those with serious mental illness have lower educational attainment, employment rates, and salaries when employed, leading to higher rates of poverty.

"The findings of this study also have implications for the payment and measurement of care. Given the importance of quality measures in value-based payment arrangements, organizations have called for measures to be adjusted to account for social risk factors," says Dr. Ruble.

Authoring the article was Omolola E. Adepoju, PhD, MPH. Co-authoring the article with Dr. Ruble were Winston Liaw, MD, MPH; Nick C. Patel, PharmD, PhD; Jeremiah Rastegar, MPA; Stephanie Franklin, MPH; Andrew Renda, MD, MPH; Ezemenari Obasi, PhD, and LeChauncy Woodard, MD, MPH

About Discovery Behavioral Health

Everyone deserves a happy, rewarding life. That's why Discovery Behavioral Health has made evidence-based, outcome-driven healthcare accessible and affordable since inception. With a full continuum of care – detoxification, medical residences, residential treatment centers, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, outpatient, psychiatric and addiction medicine, TMS, virtual and telehealth services, we can offer the right care at the right time for adults or teens struggling with mental health, substance use or eating disorders. We are a contracted provider with 100 payers and other managed care organizations. Our portfolio of more than 154 treatment centers includes service lines in successful operation since 1985. When treatment is complete, our patients become part of Discovery's growing family of alumni, connected through free aftercare programs, support groups, activities, and a caring community. Because when quality behavioral healthcare is within reach, so is happiness.

Media Contact: Greg Ptacek, [email protected], (323) 841-8002

SOURCE Discovery Behavioral Health