The expiration of federal and state laws enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic to suspend housing evictions was associated with increases in both outpatient visits for serious mental illness and the number of people receiving prescriptions for psychotropic medications, according to a report in JAMA Health Forum.Why It’s Relevant
Housing security is a key social determinant of mental health. Federal and state eviction moratoriums enacted in 2020 and 2021 led to pauses in evictions, with evidence indicating that they helped curb disease transmission.
However, little is known about the policies’ association with the utilization of mental health services. Many of these COVID-era housing protections were temporary, and their loss could have raised distress and symptom severity, increasing demand for mental health care.
By the Numbers
- The researchers used nationwide medical claims data to analyze mental health care utilization of more than 8 million individuals with a mental health diagnosis or medication. The analysis focused on two periods corresponding to the staggered expiration of state eviction moratoriums in summer 2020 (phase 1) and the expiration of the federal moratorium in August 2021 (phase 2).
- In phase 1, eviction moratorium expirations were associated with a statistically significant increase of 0.57% in the weekly number of patients who were prescribed psychotropic medication and a 3.42% increase in the number of patients who received outpatient care for serious mental illness (SMI).
- In phase 2, the federal eviction moratorium expiration was associated with a 1.17% increase in patients receiving psychotropic prescriptions and a 3.13% increase in patients with SMI receiving outpatient care.
The Other Side
The study relied on claims data that captures health care utilization, not the underlying prevalence or severity of mental health disorders, and the short follow-up period failed to capture longer-term effects of changes in housing status. Additionally, the medication numbers reflect only patients receiving at least one prescription, not variations in dosage strength that might have reflected changes in treatment intensity.
Takeaway Message
Housing policy changes can translate into measurable impacts on mental health care utilization and potentially the demand on outpatient psychiatric care, the researchers concluded. The findings of this study underscore the importance of housing for psychiatric treatments and highlight the broader health care implications of housing policy decisions.
Related Information
Source
Yimin Ge, et al. Mental health care utilization following eviction moratorium expirations. JAMA Health Forum. Published May 22, 2026. doi:10.1001/jamahealthforum.2026.1212
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