Share of Patients with Mental Health Diagnoses Rose 40 Percent Nationally from 2019 to 2023, according to New FAIR Health Study

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Apr 29, 2024, 07:51 ET

Overall, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Was Most Common Mental Health Diagnosis in 2023; among Patients Aged 0-13 Years, ADHD Was Most Common

Mental Health Diagnoses Increased in All Age Groups and in All States

NEW YORK, April 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Nationally, the share of patients with mental health diagnoses rose 39.8 percent, from 13.5 percent of patients who received medical services in 2019 to 18.9 percent in 2023. Overall, the most common mental health diagnosis in 2023 was generalized anxiety disorder, but among patients aged 0-13 years, it was attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). These and other findings are reported in a FAIR Health white paper released today: Trends in Mental Health Conditions: An Analysis of Private Healthcare Claims.

Mental health conditions may seriously affect cognition, emotional regulation and behavior. To provide needed data on recent trends in mental health conditions and receipt of mental healthcare, FAIR Health delved into its repository of over 46 billion private healthcare claim records, the nation's largest such database. This study focuses on trends in utilization of mental health services from 2019 to 2023, including such aspects as geography, age, gender, in-network services, places of service, specialties and the prevalence of substance use disorders among those with mental health conditions.

Other key findings, all for the period from 2019 to 2023, unless otherwise specified, include the following:

Among the four US census regions, the Midwest had both the largest increase in the percentage of patients with mental health diagnoses during the study period (47.0 percent) and the largest percentage of patients with mental health diagnoses in 2023 (21.3 percent).
After generalized anxiety disorder, the most common mental health diagnoses in 2023—as measured by the percentage of patients with these diagnoses out of all patients who received medical services in that year—were major depressive disorder, ADHD, adjustment disorders and bipolar disorder. In all five cases, the percentage of patients increased from 2019 to 2023. The largest increase (70.4 percent) was for patients diagnosed with ADHD, which rose from fourth most common mental health diagnosis in 2019 (1.8 percent of patients) to third most common in 2023 (3.1 percent).
The percentage of claim lines associated with mental health diagnoses increased 30.5 percent nationally, from 3.8 percent of medical claim lines in 2019 to 5.0 percent in 2023. (A claim line is an individual service or procedure listed on an insurance claim.)
The percentage of claim lines associated with mental health diagnoses compared to all medical claim lines increased in all states. The five states with the largest growth were Georgia, Connecticut, Hawaii, Montana and Nevada. The five states with the smallest increases were Ohio, New Mexico, Maine, Indiana and Massachusetts.
The percentage of patients with mental health diagnoses increased across all age groups, but the increase varied by age group. The largest increase was in those aged 65 and over (57.4 percent from 2019 to 2023).
In 2023, for all age groups older than 13, the most commonly diagnosed mental health condition was generalized anxiety disorder.
Females made up a higher percentage of patients with mental health diagnoses than males did in all except the youngest patients (ages 0-13). Though the percentage of both male and female patients with mental health diagnoses increased during the study period, females showed the larger increase: 44.6 percent, compared to 32.7 percent for males.
The national percentage of in-network claim lines associated with mental health diagnoses increased. The sharpest rise was in the last quarter of 2023, when the percentage of claim lines rose from 90.2 to 92.2 percent.
The percentage of claim lines for offices as a place of service for mental health-related visits decreased 39.8 percent, while the percentage of claim lines for telehealth increased 5,123.4 percent from 2019 to 2023. Offices remained the most common place of service for mental health-related visits for every year in the study period except 2021, when telehealth was the most common.
Several nonphysician specialties increased their share of mental health diagnosis claim lines, including social workers, nurse practitioners, psychiatric nurses, physician assistants and registered nurses, while the share of claim lines for psychiatrists decreased.
Of patients with a mental health diagnosis, 15.7 percent also had a substance use disorder during the study period. Only 5.6 percent of patients without a mental health diagnosis had a substance use disorder.

FAIR Health President Robin Gelburd stated: "The findings in this report have implications for stakeholders across the healthcare spectrum, including patients with mental health conditions and the providers who treat them, as well as payors and policy makers. We hope that these findings will also be starting points for further research on mental health conditions."

For the complete white paper, click here.

About FAIR Health
FAIR Health is a national, independent nonprofit organization that qualifies as a public charity under section 501(c)(3) of the federal tax code. It is dedicated to bringing transparency to healthcare costs and health insurance information through data products, consumer resources and health systems research support. FAIR Health possesses the nation's largest collection of private healthcare claims data, which includes over 46 billion claim records and is growing at a rate of over 3 billion claim records a year. FAIR Health licenses its privately billed data and data products—including benchmark modules, data visualizations, custom analytics and market indices—to commercial insurers and self-insurers, employers, providers, hospitals and healthcare systems, government agencies, researchers and others. Certified by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as a national Qualified Entity, FAIR Health also receives data representing the experience of all individuals enrolled in traditional Medicare Parts A, B and D, which accounts for a separate collection of over 47 billion claim records; FAIR Health includes among the private claims data in its database, data on Medicare Advantage enrollees. FAIR Health can produce insightful analytic reports and data products based on combined Medicare and commercial claims data for government, providers, payors and other authorized users. FAIR Health's systems for processing and storing protected health information have earned HITRUST CSF certification and achieved AICPA SOC 2 Type 2 compliance by meeting the rigorous data security requirements of these standards. As a testament to the reliability and objectivity of FAIR Health data, the data have been incorporated in statutes and regulations around the country and designated as the official, neutral data source for a variety of state health programs, including workers' compensation and personal injury protection (PIP) programs. FAIR Health data serve as an official reference point in support of certain state balance billing laws that protect consumers against bills for surprise out-of-network and emergency services. FAIR Health also uses its database to power a free consumer website available in English and Spanish, which enables consumers to estimate and plan for their healthcare expenditures and offers a rich educational platform on health insurance. An English/Spanish mobile app offers the same educational platform in a concise format and links to the cost estimation tools. The website has been honored by the White House Summit on Smart Disclosure, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), URAC, the eHealthcare Leadership Awards, appPicker, Employee Benefit News and Kiplinger's Personal Finance. For more information on FAIR Health, visit fairhealth.org.

Contact:
Rachel Kent
Executive Director of Communications and Marketing
FAIR Health
646-396-0795
[email protected]

SOURCE FAIR Health