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Transition Cliffs for Young Adults with Anxiety and Depression: Is Integrated Mental Health Care a Solution?

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Abstract

Young adulthood is a major transition period, particularly challenging for those with mental disorders. Though the prevalence of depressive and anxiety disorders is especially high, young adults are less likely to receive mental health treatment than younger and older individuals. Reasons for this mental health treatment gap are multifold and range from individual- to system-level factors that must be taken into consideration when addressing young adult mental health needs. Studies in adults and adolescents have shown that integrated care in primary care settings is an effective model of treatment of mental disorders. After providing an overview of the mental health treatment gap in this developmental period, the argument is made for research focused on integrated care models specifically tailored for young adults that takes into consideration the various needs and challenges that they face and addresses the mental health treatment gap in young adulthood.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX, 77030, USA

    Azeesat Babajide MD, MBA

  2. Hunter College, City University of New York, 695 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA

    Ana Ortin PhD

  3. New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University Medical Center, 1051 Riverside Dr., New York, NY, 10032, USA

    Chiaying Wei PhD, Laura Mufson PhD & Cristiane S. Duarte PhD, MPH

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  1. Azeesat Babajide MD, MBA
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  2. Ana Ortin PhD
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Correspondence to Cristiane S. Duarte PhD, MPH.

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Laura Mufson, PhD, receives book royalties from Guilford Publications, Inc. and Oxford University Press. She is a recipient of grants from NIMH, SAMHSA, and NARSAD and honoraria for academic grand rounds. She does not have any consultancies. The remaining authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

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Babajide, A., Ortin, A., Wei, C. et al. Transition Cliffs for Young Adults with Anxiety and Depression: Is Integrated Mental Health Care a Solution?. J Behav Health Serv Res 47, 275–292 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-019-09670-8

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