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Virtual mental health visits were linked to fewer suicide-related events among veterans, supporting the continued expansion of telehealth services in the VHA.

Offering virtual mental health visits in addition to in-person mental healthcare may reduce suicide-related events, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open.

“In this cohort study assessing 66,387 data points from 16,236 unique veterans, a 1% increase in the percentage of virtual mental health visits relative to the total visits was associated with a statistically significant 2.5% decrease in suicide-related events,” wrote Kertu Tenso, PhD, and colleagues.

The retrospective cohort study investigated the association of virtual mental health services with individual-level suicide-related events in a national sample of patients from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Researchers defined suicide-related events as nonfatal suicide attempts, intentional self-harm, or suicide deaths.

Veterans in the study completed active duty service between March 1, 2019, and December 31, 2020, and had at least two diagnoses related to major depressive disorder, substance use disorder, or posttraumatic stress disorder the year before their separation from the military. They received mental health care through the VHA between March 1, 2020, and December 31, 2021.

Two-thirds of the patients were male, the mean age was 32.9 years, and nearly half were married. The sample was representative of the overall veteran population in the United States, researchers reported.

A total of 929 suicide-related events (1.4%) occurred among participants, according to the study. A mean of 44.6% of all mental health visits were virtual.

Using a quasi-experimental study design, researchers found that an uptick in the percentage of virtual mental health visits compared with total mental health visits was linked with a statistically significant decrease in suicide-related events.

Researchers provided several potential explanations for the finding. Telehealth provides increased accessibility and convenience at lower costs, for example, as well as more comfort for patients who may prefer receiving mental healthcare in their home environment. Telehealth can also alleviate concerns about stigma associated with accessing in-person care, they pointed out.

At the same time, telehealth can be uncomfortable for some patients, present privacy concerns, and involve technological obstacles. As a result, the authors deemed both virtual and in-person care options vital.

“Our results,” researchers wrote, “support continued expansion of mental telehealth within the VHA.”