Published Nov. 5 in JAMA Network Open, the study analyzed data from the Veterans Health Administration database, assessing 16,236 patient records of veterans who received mental health care between March 1, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2021. Participants were divided into two groups: those who completed active duty between March 1 and Dec. 31, 2020, and those who received at least two outpatient or inpatient diagnoses for major depressive disorder, substance use disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder within the year before their most recent separation date.
Among mental health patient visits, 44.6% were conducted virtually. Virtual visits were associated with a 2.5% decrease in suicide-related events.
“An increase in virtual mental health visits relative to total visits was associated with a statistically significant decrease in suicide-related events, suggesting that providing virtual mental health services may reduce suicide-related outcomes,” the authors wrote.
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