How Do Mental Health Treatment Delays Impact Long-Term Mortality?

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Costantini, Sydney
• 署名单位: University of California System; University of California Berkeley
• 刊物名称: AMERICAN ECONOMIC REVIEW
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0002-8282
• DOI: 10.1257/aer.20240226
• 发表日期: 2025
• 页码: 1672-1707
• 关键词: EXCESS MORTALITY; illness; disorders; suicide; schizophrenia; DEPRESSION; AFTERCARE; veterans; care

摘要

With a growing mental health crisis and a shortage of behavioral health specialists, those seeking mental health treatment often face long wait times to obtain care. I study how clinic congestion affects mortality for veterans experiencing mental health emergencies. I find that longer waiting times make it more likely that patients miss their follow-up mental health visit, consequently increasing the probability that they permanently disengage from care. A 1 standard deviation increase in wait time between the emergency department visit and follow-up appointment date (11.7 days) increases two-year mortality by about 1.5 percent. (JEL H51, I12, I13, I18)