Survey shows an increase in mental health treatment

Americans are more likely to seek mental health treatment today than there were ten years ago, according to a study conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health. That is good news, and is due, I suspect, to the advent of managed care, not to any reduction of stigma about mental health treatment. Managed care plans often require consumers to pay copays as small as $10 or $15 per treatment session, as opposed to the indemnity plans' copays, which could run anywhere from $20 to $50. Clinicians make less money with managed care plans, but more consumers can afford to get treatment.