Time Preferences, Mental Health and Treatment Utilization

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Economics
• Mental Health Research
• Health Psychology

Background:

• A significant treatment gap exists for mental health conditions globally, with less than half of individuals receiving care.
• Common barriers include limited knowledge, negative attitudes, financial constraints, and potentially time preferences and procrastination.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the conceptual and empirical links between time preferences, procrastination, and mental health help-seeking behaviors.
• To investigate how present-oriented decision-making influences the utilization of mental health services.

Main Methods:

• A conceptual analysis integrating microeconomic theory with mental health treatment utilization.
• An empirical analysis of survey data from 8,806 students across 12 universities, measuring depression, anxiety, discounting, and procrastination.

Main Results:

• Depression was significantly correlated with both procrastination and discounting (present-oriented time preferences).
• Treatment utilization showed a significant association with procrastination but not with discounting.

Conclusions:

• Empirical findings support the hypothesis that depression is linked to increased present orientation, as indicated by discounting and procrastination.
• Future research should focus on longitudinal studies, experimental designs, and intervention trials to address causality and develop strategies for improving mental health help-seeking.