Medical scheme administrator Discovery Health has sounded the alarm over a looming mental health crisis in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, saying it has seen a marked increase in claims for psychology visits.
Psychology visits per 1,000 lives in July 2021 were 16.2% higher than the corresponding period in 2019, at 28.4 visits per 1,000 lives in 2021 compared with 24.4 in 2019.
“Mental health is another pandemic. What we are seeing is the tip of the iceberg,” said Discovery Health’s clinical policy unit head, Noluthando Nematswerani. Discovery Health administers 19 medical schemes, the biggest of which is Discovery Health Medical Scheme.
“I think we are still going to see a significant mental health impact in future claims. What we are see right now is people who may not have an established mental health illness, but are presenting with stress-related disorders”, which may progress to more serious conditions, she said.
While Discovery’s upward trend in psychology claims reflects the needs of a portion of the members it administers, because many people belong to options with limited mental health cover, it resonates with findings of a recent Lancet study that found the pandemic had triggered a global surge in the prevalence of anxiety disorders and depression. Countries hit hardest by the pandemic in 2020 had the greatest increases in these mental illnesses, with SA among the worst affected.
The prevalence of anxiety disorders rose by more than 36%, while depression soared 38%, according to the estimates for SA in the Lancet study, published on October 8. Globally anxiety disorders jumped 26% and depression rose 28% above pre-pandemic levels.
Life Insurer Momentum said it had not seen an increase in mental health-related claims, including suicide, since the pandemic began but expected a future surge.
“We are definitely worried. We do expect it to increase in the years ahead, but don’t know to what extent,” said Momentum Life’s head of product development, Jenny Ingram. “By the time people are diagnosed with an event that qualifies for a payout they have gone through a long period of treatment that is failing,” she said.
Life Insurer FMI, a division of Bidvest, said mental health claims, largely due to burnout, anxiety and depression, accounted for 3.5% of claims in 2020 and were the second most common reason for claiming on income protection.
Jasmin Kooverjee, principal psychologist at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, said there had been a marked increase in anxiety and depression among children and adolescents, and a surge in burnout among healthcare workers. “As the pandemic wore on the losses became closer and closer, and that took a toll, as well as the long hours, shortages of resources, dealing with sick people and their anxieties, and the role they might play in making family sick,” she said.
The hospital had augmented mental health services during the pandemic, thanks to Covid-19 budget allocations. “The additional staff are fully booked. No matter how many additional posts we have, it won’t be enough because mental health [conditions] have soared,” she said.
The hospital’s mental health services had been running at full capacity before the pandemic, she said, and the rising demand meant state patients could expect to wait up to three months to see a psychologist and several weeks to see a psychiatrist, she said.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.