News: Housing insecurity associated with increased serious mental illness outpatient visits, study finds

Expiring eviction moratoriums were associated with an increase in outpatient visits from serious mental illness, according to a recent study published in JAMA Health Forum.

Housing security is a social determinant of health (SDOH), and it has been known to affect patients’ access to healthcare and social support. Disruptions in housing security include, but are not limited to, evictions, frequent moves, and unsafe living conditions.

Housing insecurity negatively impacts mental health outcomes in particular. It has been found to lead to higher rates of anxiety, depression, and stress.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, job loss and economic disruptions impacted housing security for many, and federal, state, and local governments implemented housing policies such as eviction moratoriums in response. These eviction moratoriums, evidence suggests, led to fewer eviction filings. However, researchers wanted to examine how those moratoriums affected mental healthcare utilization, particularly when they expired.

For the study, the researchers examined nationwide claims data regarding nearly nine million individuals. They focused on two time periods: March-August, 2020, when state-level eviction moratoriums expired (phase 1), and June-December, 2021, when the federal-level moratorium expired (phase 2).

The researchers found that outpatient visits for serious mental illness increased 3.42% during the first phase and 3.13% during the second phase. During those two phases, they found no change in the number of mental health-related outpatient visits, outpatient visits associated with mood-related conditions, or suicide-related visits.

The increase in the number of patients seeking treatment for serious mental illness suggests that housing insecurity may have intensified psychiatric symptoms among members of vulnerable populations, which drove greater demand for specialized outpatient services.

The study also found that the expiration of eviction moratoriums was associated with increases in the weekly number of patients who were prescribed psychotropic medications, increasing 0.57% in the first phase and 1.17% in the second phase.

Editor’s note: To read the full study, click here. To read additional coverage from JustCoding, click here.