Misperceived Effectiveness and the Demand for Psychotherapy
- While psychotherapy has been shown to be effective in treating depression, take-up remains low. In a sample of 1,843 depressed individuals, we document that effectiveness concerns are top-of-mind when respondents consider the value of therapy. We then show that the average respondent underestimates the effectiveness of therapy and that an information treatment correcting this misperception increases participants’ incentivized willingness to pay for therapy. Information affects therapy demand by changing beliefs rather than by shifting attention. Our results suggest that information interventions that target the perceived effectiveness of therapy are a potent tool in combating the ongoing mental health crisis.
Document Type: | Working Paper |
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Language: | English |
Author(s): | Christopher Roth, Peter Schwardmann, Egon TripodiORCiD |
Parent Title (English): | Berlin School of Economics Discussion Papers |
Publication year: | 2024 |
Publishing Institution: | Hertie School |
Number pages: | 47 |
DOI: | https://doi.org/10.48462/opus4-5362 |
Release Date: | 2024/04/17 |
Edition: | No. 36 |
Hertie School Research: | BerlinSchoolOfEcon_Discussion_Papers |
AY 23/24: | AY 23/24 |
Licence of document (German): | Creative Commons - CC BY - 4.0 International |