Behavioral Health and Substance Abuse

Only 10% of Americans who need behavioral health care in a given year receive the treatment. Lack of health insurance coverage and discriminatory restrictions on behavioral health benefits pose major financial barriers to treatment.                                                          

Dr. Christine Lu is site Principal Investigator of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, one of over 20 sites of the Mental Health Research Network, a national consortium embedded in large and diverse healthcare systems for improving patient mental health through research, practice and policy.

Dr. Hefei Wen's work has been among the first to examine the behavioral health implications of Medicaid expansions, marijuana liberalization policies, prescription drug monitoring programs, opioid prescribing limit laws, and buprenorphine waiver requirements, especially in the context of the U.S. opioid crisis.

Selected Publications

Changes in antidepressant use by young people and suicidal behavior after FDA warnings and media coverage: quasi-experimental study

Medicaid Expansion Associated With Reductions In Preventable Hospitalizations

Association of Medical and Adult-Use Marijuana Laws With Opioid Prescribing for Medicaid Enrollees

States With Prescription Drug Monitoring Mandates Saw A Reduction In Opioids Prescribed To Medicaid Enrollees