| アブストラクト | AIM: The prevalence of mental health issues among children and adolescents in Japan is rising, including school refusal, suicide, and neurodevelopmental disorders. In response, the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW) introduced insurance incentives in 2014 to expand access to outpatient psychiatric services for Japanese youth. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study analyzed data from the National Database of Health Insurance Claims and Specific Health Checkups of Japan from fiscal years 2016 to 2022. Outpatient psychotherapy claims under the newly introduced insurance categories were analyzed by year, age group, sex, and prefecture. National trends and regional disparities were assessed using linear regression models. RESULTS: Nationwide outpatient psychotherapy claims nearly doubled, from 521.0 per 10,000 youth in fiscal year 2015 to 1034.5 in fiscal year 2022 (p < 0.001). The increase was most pronounced among adolescent girls. By fiscal year 2022, 94% of prefectures had implemented the policy. Some regions, such as Tokushima and Yamanashi, experienced more than a threefold increase. Nevertheless, regional disparities between prefectures remained. CONCLUSION: The MHLW's insurance reforms significantly increased access to psychiatric care for children and adolescents across Japan. The combined impact of national financial incentives and local medical subsidies likely contributed to increased service utilization, given the reduction in additional costs for families. Ongoing policy efforts are needed to ensure equitable access and high-quality care nationwide. |
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| ジャーナル名 | PCN reports : psychiatry and clinical neurosciences |
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| Pubmed追加日 | 2025/6/13 |
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| 投稿者 | Usami, Masahide; Sasaki, Yoshinori; Ishida, Masahiro; Inoue, Saori; Ito, Masaya; Mikami, Katsunaka; Tsujii, Noa; Satake, Naoko |
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| 組織名 | Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, National Kohnodai Medical Center;Japan Institute for Health Security Chiba Japan.;Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Institute of Science Tokyo;Graduate School Tokyo Japan.;Department of Psychiatry Fukuoka University Fukuoka Japan.;Department of Child Psychiatry Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine Toon;City Japan.;National Center for Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Research National Center of;Neurology and Psychiatry Kodaira Japan.;Department of Psychiatry Tokai University School of Medicine Kanagawa Japan.;Department of Child Mental Health and Development Toyama University Hospital;Toyama Japan.;Department of Psychiatry, National Kohnodai Medical Center Japan Institute for;Health Security Chiba Japan. |
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| Pubmed リンク | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/40510863/ |
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