Can Online Therapy Alone Help People Overcome Stress And Anxiety?

Online mental health programs are filling a crucial gap in our healthcare system

Covid-19 fueled a mental health crisis in the U.S., with the number of adults experiencing depression tripling. To further complicate matters, access to care was severely limited. Pre-Covid, fewer than 50 percent of those who needed mental healthcare received it. During Covid, that number was likely in the single digits.
 

Many people turned to online options in order to fill the gap. Mary Hope of Oregon is one among them. In her 60’s and feeling unprecedented anxiety and stress, Mary decided to take advantage of an online program offered for free via her employer’s health insurance plan.

“The pandemic really heightened stress for me,” said Hope. She turned for help after recognizing that her stress was affecting her relationship with her husband. In addition to virtual therapy with a licensed provider, Hope focused on breathing exercises and other tools in the health app. “Anchor breathing and using the five senses for being present in the moment was very helpful, as are the many guided meditations. I also started a mood journal and a gratitude journal that I still write in every night.” 

Having now completed the program, Hope said, “I am much calmer now. I feel that I have tools to work with when I’m stressed. It also gave me a chance to look at areas where I can make improvements.”

Online mental health programs are filling a crucial gap in our healthcare system, not only vastly increasing access to mental health assistance, but also improving the quality and effectiveness of care. 

Mental health challenges affect more than 500 million people globally. However, fewer than 50 percent of those who need it, receive care. There are not enough therapists or other mental health providers in the market. In the US, demand for therapists outstrips supply by 2x. One provider can only treat a few patients a day via the traditional telehealth or brick-and-mortar visit-based care model.

Online programs are absolutely essential to filling the gap in supply. Newer options that go beyond just talk therapy and medication and incorporate mind-body elements such as meditation and nutrition/sleep advice have been proven to provide not only better but also longer-lasting results than the current US standard of care. For instance, in peer-reviewed studies on our program, researchers found an average 54 percent reduction in depressive symptoms, and 60 percent of participants had sustained results after 12 months. This is high above the industry average where antidepressants result on average 25 percent symptom reduction and 25 percent sustain the results at the 12-month mark. 

I developed Meru Health – one of several online options for mental health assistance – after my oldest brother Peter, suffering from severe depression, took his own life. A healthcare entrepreneur, I had witnessed firsthand the shortcomings of the mental healthcare system and decided to create a better approach to spare other families the pain mine experienced. I spent a year researching the space, and then created a program that could have helped my brother.

Employers and health plans can and should play a large role in stemming the rising tide of the current mental health crisis, by reducing the stigma associated with asking for help, and providing confidential, clinically validated mental health programs to their employees and subscribers. 

If your HR team is not already providing an online mental health assistance program that’s backed by peer-reviewed data, consider adding one for the 2022 benefits year. As the country emerges from Covid-19, mental health challenges are likely to change, but not disappear. Employees need your help more than ever.

Kristian Ranta is the Founder and CEO of Meru Health. Connect Kristian Ranta