For the third consecutive year, psychologists across the country say that they are seeing more patients with worsening symptoms, many of whom are needing more treatment time. However, most psychologists have no openings for new patients, and many who keep waiting lists say it could be three months or longer before these patients could be seen.

According to NPR, these are the findings of the 2023 Practitioner Pulse Survey by the American Psychological Association (APA) that launched its first survey in 2020 to gauge the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on psychologists. More people are seeking mental health care this year, and the waitlists are growing. A full 56% of the psychologists surveyed said they were not seeing new patients, and among those who keep waitlists, average wait times were three months or longer and nearly 40% said their waitlist had grown in the past year.  

“We continue to see incredibly high demand for mental health services and an incredible limited supply,” said Vaile Wright, a psychologist and senior director of Health Care Innovation at the APA. “This is not a sustainable solution addressing the mental health crisis in this country.”

The newly released survey results showed that people are seeking help for specific issues such as anxiety disorders, depression, trauma and stress-related disorders, sleep disturbances and addiction. More than half of the psychologists surveyed said the length of treatment time also has increased.

Wright says that these mental health issues are largely the results of the pandemic.

“I think there are a variety of ways individuals experienced trauma during the pandemic,” she said. “It could be the loss of a loved one and the grief that comes along with that. It could be one’s own sickness and the impact of hospitalizations.”

The dramatic change in people’s personal lives also added a lot of stress. These include public health measures, changes in professional and social life, and altered ability to care for loved ones, said Wright.

It’s when the trauma and stresses have died down that the mental health effects often manifest, said the expert, the real impact starts to hit us. Psychologists themselves had to learn to adapt during the pandemic, adjusting to restrictions and the increased demand for care.

According to the APA survey, 36% of the psychologists interviewed reported feeling burned out. While this is less than the 41% reporting burnout in the peak year of 2021, the report notes that still a significant number of providers are struggling to keep up with the demands of their work, says NPR.

The good news is that two-thirds of psychologists said they were able to practice self-care to deal with the pressures and burnout, and nearly half said they depended on peer support to improve their own well-being.