A meta-analysis examined mental health service utilization for people ages 1 to 45 with intellectual and developmental disabilities, serious mental illness, or both. The study used Medicaid claims from Kansas, Massachusetts, New York, and South Carolina covering the years 2018 through 2021. This period included the expansion of telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The analysis found that approximately 75 percent of people with both intellectual and developmental disabilities and serious mental illness used services in 2018. Utilization rates were lower for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities alone. Mood and anxiety disorders drove use for the serious mental illness group, while neurodevelopmental conditions drove use for the intellectual and developmental disabilities group.
Telehealth use was substantially lower for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The pandemic appeared to partially disrupt service use across all groups. The study notes that little is known about the specific challenges faced during the widespread expansion of telehealth services. Readers should understand these findings come from claims data and do not prove that telehealth works better or worse than other methods.
