Why Measuring Mental Health Improvement Matters

As the number of young people in need of mental health treatment continues to rise, accessing the appropriate care is becoming more difficult. In May 2023, the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry reported a drastic shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists across the country, stating that for every 100,000 children, there are only 14 psychiatrists available to treat them.

There’s also a disconnect between quantity and quality. Even though access to therapy has improved overall, a recent Time Magazine article suggests that America’s mental health problem is actually getting worse. Over the past two decades, the number of Americans receiving mental healthcare has grown by a third, but the share of those reporting “excellent” mental health has decreased by almost as much. The Time article also suggests that some experts believe most of the available care isn’t up to par with patients’ needs.

It’s critical that we address pediatric mental health and create access to a proven specialty care model that targets specific needs. At InStride Health, we’re taking on the broken mental health system by offering insurance-based access to a coordinated clinical team with the training, expertise, and evidence-based treatment approach specifically designed for the needs of pediatric anxiety and OCD. This approach was tested and proven over a decade at McLean Hospital (the #1 psychiatric hospital in the country) by InStride’s clinical co-founders.

Evidence-based treatment produces effective results
We have seen that finding the right care can be life changing. At InStride, we empower patients with the skills and strategies to quickly get back on track during the crucial years between childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. But for those who go through treatment, how do we know if it works? Unfortunately, fewer than 20% of mental health practices currently engage in Measurement Based Care (MBC), where treatment goals and progress are measured and directly inform care. At InStride, we are committed to transparency and accountability in our treatment, and MBC is an integral part of ensuring strong outcomes.

As advocates of publicizing the effectiveness of mental health treatment, we’re thrilled to share our first outcomes report to help provide hope to young people and their families who are struggling with anxiety or OCD and seeking treatment.

Preliminary Results from Program Graduates: 

Empowering Patients

• Among patients with initially elevated anxiety symptoms at admission (GAD7 >= 8), 90% experienced a reduction in anxiety after two months of treatment. On average, there was a 46% decrease in symptoms. This reduction was both statistically significant and characterized by a large effect size.*
• Similarly, 80% of these patients reported a clinically meaningful reduction of anxiety symptoms after four months of starting treatment.**
• 82% of InStride patients reported reduced functional impairment and symptom severity after three months as measured by the Overall Anxiety Severity and Impairment Scale (OASIS-Y). This reduction was both statistically significant and characterized by a medium effect size.
• Among patients with initially elevated symptoms of depression at admission (PHQ9 >= 8), 89% experienced a reduction in depression after six months of treatment. On average, there was a 42% decrease in symptoms, which was both statistically significant and characterized by a large effect size.*

Caring for a child who has anxiety is challenging. When a child is struggling with mental, emotional, social, or behavioral functioning, the parent and/or caregiver often suffers from stress, burnout, or guilt and tends to neglect their own needs. Fortunately, InStride’s proven care model helps the parents/caregivers as well.

Supporting Caregivers

• 91% of caregivers reported a reduction in their own distress, which was both statistically significant and characterized by a large effect size.***
• 86% reduction in significant work absenteeism.****
• 97% of caregivers said they would recommend InStride Health to a friend.

“As a nurse and strong patient advocate who makes referrals worldwide, I wholeheartedly endorse InStride Health. This is a long-awaited, empirically validated treatment program for those seeking highly educated and well-trained professionals to deliver stellar clinical care efficiently, effectively and even accepts most major insurance plans,” said Bonnie Brown, BS, RN, Nurse Administrator and Health Communications Specialist.

Specialty care expands to six states

The bottom line is that there’s hope for youth mental health, and high-quality, effective treatment is available. InStride Health delivers evidenced-based treatment that empowers patients with anxiety and OCD to gain the skills needed to quickly get their lives back on track. Our proven coordinated care model is led by highly experienced clinical teams including a psychiatrist, therapist and coach, all of whom not only bring heart to their work, but also have the training and expertise geared for the specific needs of pediatric anxiety and OCD. They engage patients and their families in a tailored care journey, including individual and family therapy, groups for children and for parents/caregivers, coaching, and medication management, if needed.

At InStride, our mission is to deliver desperately needed, insurance-based access to evidence-based treatment that works for kids, teens and young adults with moderate to severe anxiety and OCD. To meet the increasing demand for specialty care, we’ve expanded access to patients and families residing in New York and New Jersey, in addition to Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. As we touch more lives, we’re committed to measuring the improvement in our patients’ mental health and sharing clinically meaningful results on a yearly basis. Our belief is that InStride has proven to be more than a continuum of care—it’s a pathway to a healthier life and hope for a promising future.