Einflussfaktoren für die Inanspruchnahme psychotherapeutischer Leistungen für Depressionen - alles eine Frage der Regionen?

The planning of psychotherapists is discussed controversially in Germany. Results from primary data suggest that the current ratio of inhabitants to psychotherapists leads to an insufficient provision of mental healthcare. However, analyses employing geographic information systems (GIS) and spatial statistics based on health insurance claims on the utilization of psychotherapists have not yet been conducted in Germany. Our study addresses this research gap and examines regional differences of prevalence and healthcare utilization for depression, analyzes individual-level risk factors and investigates the association between healthcare utilization and availability of psychotherapists. Our results point out that the current ratio of psychotherapists per inhabitants does not reflect the need for mental healthcare in rural areas. Logically, planning of psychotherapists needs to be adjusted to reflect the demand for mental healthcare, especially in rural areas. However, altering the ratio of inhabitants to psychotherapists at the county-level alone will not necessarily enhance access to psychotherapists. A more realistic approach would be an assessment of the supply of psychotherapists using a gravitation model.