Online Therapy Boom Has Mainly Benefited Privileged Groups, Studies Find

January 16, 2025

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(New York Times) – Digital mental health platforms were supposed to expand access for the neediest patients. Researchers say that hasn’t happened.

The increase in psychotherapy has occurred among groups that already enjoyed more access: people in higher-income brackets, living in cities, with steady employment and more education, researchers found in a series of studies, the most recent of which was, published Wednesday in The American Journal of Psychiatry.

Among those who have not benefited from the boom, the team found, are children from low-income families, Black children and adolescents, and adults with “serious psychological distress.” (Read More)