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A Critique of the Behavioral Health Disability System

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Handbook of Behavioral Health Disability Management

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Abstract

A snapshot of the behavioral health (BH) spectrum reveals numerous factors that dramatically impede favorable treatment and disability leave outcomes. The managed care system was originally developed as a means to have the primary care physician (PCP) manage an individual’s health concerns. However, an unintended result has been that PCPs have become the primary professionals who are treating BH concerns. Thus, the primary care system has become the de facto mental health system in this country. Moreover, the additional aspects of poor diagnostic processes, treatment follow-up, and referrals to BH professionals further compound the poor treatment outcome issue. Additionally, these same issues impact insurers, the State Workers’ Compensation (WC) and Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA) , the Social Security Administration (SSA), as well as the private disability insurers. All of these disability systems utilize lengthy and ineffective approval processes for requested services. In addition, these systems lack incentives to facilitate the individual’s return to work. Taken as a whole, the combined issues that occur collectively across all disability systems have resulted in a problematic, complex disability conundrum.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Carle Physician Group and University of Illinois Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Monticello, IL, USA

    Pamela A. Warren

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  1. Pamela A. Warren
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  1. Department of Psychiatry, Carle Physician Group and University of Illinois Medical School, Monticello, Illinois, USA

    Pamela A. Warren

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Warren, P.A. (2018). A Critique of the Behavioral Health Disability System. In: Warren, P. (eds) Handbook of Behavioral Health Disability Management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-89860-5_1

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