Nature Mental Health: The Digital Divide in Access to Broadband Internet and Mental Health

Nature Mental Health: The Digital Divide in Access to Broadband Internet and Mental Health

A study published in Nature Mental Health found that that US counties with low densities of mental health care resources also have a higher percentage of homes without broadband access. There was an average of 7.03 mental healthcare physicians, 10.86 non-physician mental health practitioners, 1.48 psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals, 1.18 inpatient psychiatric and substance abuse treatment facilities, and 12.33 outpatient facilities available per 100,000 members of the population across US counties. However, US counties with low broadband access had reduced densities of mental health services, with an average of 3.63 mental healthcare physicians, 2.86 non-physician mental health practitioners, 1.33 psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals, 0.94 inpatient psychiatric and substance abuse treatment facilities, and 11.28 outpatient facilities available per 100,000 members of the population. The findings suggest that, while telemedicine may mitigate many key barriers to in-person mental healthcare, lack of broadband access may present an additional barrier to care for individuals already living in medically under-resourced communities.