Telehealth Use for Mental Health Treatment Among US Adolescents

To examine telehealth use for mental health treatment in a 2022 national sample of adolescents.

We analyzed data on adolescents (ages 12-17) who received mental health treatment in the past 12 months (N = 3,708) from the 2022 National Survey of Drug Use and Health. Proportions of adolescents who used telehealth as part of their treatment were compared across treatment settings. Survey-adjusted X² tests and logistic regression models were used to examine associations of demographic and clinical characteristics with telehealth use.

Among adolescents who received mental health treatment in the past 12 months, 45.3% received some care via telehealth. Among the 28.8% of adolescent service users who received treatment in only one setting, use of telehealth was higher in office-based specialty care (54.5%) than schools (9.2%), outpatient mental health treatment centers (5.3%), and general medical care settings (3.9%). Among the 71.2% of adolescent service users who received care in multiple settings, use of telehealth was more common in those whose care included office-based specialty care (71.4%) than in those whose care did not include office-based specialty care (27.6%). In logistic regression models, use of telehealth was associated with age, gender, race/ethnicity, rurality, drug or alcohol disorder and past-year major depressive episode or suicidal ideation.

High use of telehealth for mental health treatment for adolescents was concentrated in office-based specialty care. Understanding the potential for telehealth in mental health treatment in other settings, especially schools and mental health treatment centers, is needed to inform efforts to expand treatment options.