Use of Telehealth to Address Depression and Anxiety in Low-income US Populations: A Narrative Review

Course overview

Course Description: This course is based on material published in the Journal of Primary Care and Community Health and is available as an open-access article. Symptoms of anxiety and depressive disorders have been increasing substantially among adults in the United States (US) during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly for low-income populations. Under-resourced communities have difficulties accessing optimal treatment for anxiety and depression due to costs as well as the result of limited access to health care providers. Telehealth has been growing as a digital strategy to treat anxiety and depression across the country but it is unclear how best to implement telehealth interventions to serve low-income populations. A narrative review was conducted to evaluate the role of telehealth in addressing anxiety and depression in low-income groups in the US. A PubMed database search identified a total of 14 studies published from 2012 to 2022 on telehealth interventions that focused on strengthening access to therapy, coordination of care, and medication and treatment adherence. Our findings suggest that telehealth increases patient engagement through virtual therapy and the use of primarily telephone communication to treat and monitor anxiety and depression. Telehealth seems to be a promising approach to improving anxiety and depressive symptoms, but socioeconomic and technological barriers to accessing mental health services are substantial for low-income US populations. This course on the use of telehealth as a means of addressing depression and anxiety is designed for social workers, professional counselors, psychologists, nurses, and substance abuse counselors who do clinical work. In addition, this course is appropriate for intermediate and advanced-level practitioners who wish to develop their knowledge of the use of telehealth as a means of addressing depression and anxiety. The course material includes a literature review of interventions and research. It may also be useful for licensed clinicians who require continuing clinical education courses for license renewal. The course is based on a journal article that includes research. It contains statistical analysis and data that some clinicians enjoy reading, and others do not. A significant benefit of reading research-based articles for continuing education is they provide practitioners with the latest findings in their field. Authors: Sultana, Pagán Learning Objectives: This course will provide the practitioner with detailed information regarding the use of telehealth as a means of addressing depression and anxiety. Specifically, a professional will: Describe the characteristics of telehealth and its use as a method of delivering mental health services. Identify various telehealth interventions that are used to deliver mental health services. Recognize barriers and limitations to telehealth. Citation: Sultana, S., & Pagán, J. A. (2023). Use of Telehealth to Address Depression and Anxiety in Low-income US Populations: A Narrative Review. Journal of primary care & community health, 14, 21501319231168036. https://doi.org/10.1177/21501319231168036