New York University, New York, NY, USA.
J Prim Care Community Health. 2023 Jan-Dec;14:21501319231168036. doi: 10.1177/21501319231168036.
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.
在美国（US），新冠疫情大流行期间，成年人的焦虑和抑郁障碍症状显著增加，尤其是低收入人群。由于成本问题以及医疗服务提供者数量有限，资源匮乏的社区在获得焦虑和抑郁的最佳治疗方面存在困难。远程医疗作为一种治疗全国焦虑和抑郁的数字策略不断发展，但如何最好地实施远程医疗干预措施来服务低收入人群尚不清楚。进行了一项叙述性评论，以评估远程医疗在美国在解决低收入群体焦虑和抑郁方面的作用。在 PubMed 数据库中搜索到了 2012 年至 2022 年期间发表的总共 14 项关于远程医疗干预措施的研究，这些研究侧重于加强治疗的可及性、护理协调以及药物治疗和治疗依从性。我们的研究结果表明，远程医疗通过虚拟治疗和主要使用电话沟通来治疗和监测焦虑和抑郁，从而增加了患者的参与度。远程医疗似乎是改善焦虑和抑郁症状的一种有前途的方法，但对于美国低收入人群来说，获得心理健康服务的社会经济和技术障碍仍然很大。
