World Mental Health Day: Why Telehealth Access to Therapy and Controlled Medications Matters More Than Ever
Each year on October 10th, the global community observes World Mental Health Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness and driving efforts to improve mental health care worldwide. In 2024, the importance of mental health services is more critical than ever, especially as we confront the ongoing challenges of access to care. For millions of Americans, telehealth has become a lifeline—especially for those seeking therapy and essential medications like buprenorphine for opioid use disorder. However, as we mark this important day, looming changes to telehealth regulations threaten to dismantle the progress made during the pandemic.
The Role of Telehealth in Expanding Mental Health Access
Over the past few years, telehealth services have been invaluable in breaking down geographic, financial, and social barriers that often prevent individuals from accessing mental health care. The COVID-19 pandemic pushed healthcare systems to rapidly adopt telemedicine, which allowed patients to consult with mental health professionals and receive prescriptions for critical medications without an in-person visit.
Buprenorphine, for example, is a controlled substance used to treat opioid use disorder (OUD), a condition that affects over 2.5 million Americans. During the pandemic, telehealth flexibilities allowed patients to access buprenorphine remotely, greatly improving access to treatment for those in rural or underserved communities. For individuals battling addiction, timely access to buprenorphine is often a matter of life and death. The convenience of telehealth made it easier for patients to receive care without the logistical burdens of traveling to a clinic or facing stigma associated with in-person visits.
The Looming Crisis: Expiring Telehealth Flexibilities
Unfortunately, these life-saving flexibilities are at risk of expiring by the end of 2024. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued temporary waivers during the pandemic to allow the remote prescribing of controlled substances, including those used to treat mental health conditions and opioid addiction. However, with these flexibilities set to expire in less than 90 days, millions of individuals may face severe disruptions in care.
For mental health patients, this change could mean:
Disruptions in care continuity: Losing the ability to access therapy or medication remotely may force patients to stop treatment abruptly, leading to a deterioration in mental health.
Barriers for rural and underserved populations: An estimated 53 million Americans live in rural areas with limited access to healthcare services, making telehealth essential for mental health care and substance use treatment.
Relapses in opioid use disorder treatment: Buprenorphine helps patients manage withdrawal symptoms and reduce cravings. For individuals receiving buprenorphine through telehealth, losing access to this care could result in relapse and an increased risk of overdose.
Why Preserving Telehealth Flexibilities Is Critical
The potential expiration of telehealth prescribing flexibilities poses a significant threat to mental health care and addiction treatment. Research has shown that telemedicine has been just as effective as in-person care for mental health and substance use disorder treatment. By removing this vital lifeline, we are putting millions at risk of worsened outcomes, including increased rates of overdose, suicide, and mental health crises.
Maintaining telehealth access to both therapy and controlled substances such as buprenorphine is critical, not just for individuals with opioid use disorder, but for those struggling with a range of mental health conditions. Access to consistent and timely care should not be disrupted because of administrative red tape.
Advocating for Change
As we reflect on World Mental Health Day, it's important to emphasize the connection between access to care and patient outcomes. We urge policymakers to prioritize the needs of vulnerable populations by extending telehealth prescribing flexibilities and ensuring that individuals can continue to access critical mental health services remotely.
Everyone deserves the opportunity to receive care where, when, and how they need it. By supporting telehealth, we can continue to expand access to mental health and addiction treatment services and save countless lives in the process.
Take Action Now
We must continue advocating for policies that support equitable access to mental health services through telehealth. This includes ensuring that patients who rely on medications like buprenorphine and other controlled substances can continue their treatment without unnecessary barriers.
With millions of lives at stake, the time to act is now.
References:
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). (2023). Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/2020-nsduh-annual-national-report
McKinsey & Company. (2021). Telehealth: A quarter-trillion-dollar post-COVID-19 reality? https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare-systems-and-services/our-insights/telehealth-a-quarter-trillion-dollar-post-covid-19-reality
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). (2022). Overdose Death Rates. https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/trends-statistics/overdose-death-rates