What was once the defining characteristic of mental health care - psychotherapy - is increasingly being replaced by medication. In fact, the use of psychotherapy has dropped by 15% in the last eight years:
Researchers attributed the shift to insurance reimbursement policies that favor short medication visits compared with longer psychotherapy sessions, and to the introduction of a new generation of psychotropic medications with fewer side effects.
Although not a surprise to many psychiatrists, the findings were expected to intensify a debate over the increased medicalization of psychiatric care, which in part reflects an emphasis on the biology of mental illness, as opposed to the processes of the mind....
Financial incentives were weighted against psychotherapy, the report said. Reimbursement for a 45- to 50-minute outpatient psychotherapy session was 40.9% lower than reimbursement for three 15-minute medication management visits, the report said, citing a 2003 study. Anticipated changes in Medicare reimbursement are expected to bring payments into closer balance, experts said.
It is true that not everyone can afford psychotherapy and oftentimes taking a pill (which your insurance policy may cover) seems easier than the process of working with a therapist. But we can't come to a place where we're making treatment decisions for people who are suffering based on reimbursements.
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