Lessons, Part II: Barriers to Care

During the implementation of BridgeUp at Menninger, community healthcare providers affiliated with the program had the option to refer high-need adolescent students for outpatient or inpatient care at the Clinic. It was noted that not all referred adolescents followed up with referrals. A non-systematic literature review was conducted to elucidate what kinds of barriers these adolescents might face in accessing and receiving mental healthcare. There is considerable existing research on the barriers faced by adolescents in rural settings, but a scarcity of peer-reviewed studies on those in urban settings. Synthesizing the existing research yielded considerable evidence that urban adolescents face many barriers on both the supply and demand sides. One possible solution to overcome barriers was the use of telemedicine to provide mental healthcare to adolescents. More research is still required to better understand how to reach adolescents and administer effective mental healthcare.