Meaningful Progress for Patients With the Greatest Needs
Severe anxiety or depression can make it difficult to complete everyday tasks, maintain relationships, and take the first step toward getting help. For patients who already face barriers to mental health care, finding consistent support can be even more challenging.
New clinical outcomes data from Brave Health offer an encouraging message: patients who begin treatment with some of the most severe symptoms can make meaningful, measurable progress when they remain engaged in care.
After 12 or more weeks of treatment, patients with severe baseline scores demonstrated particularly strong improvement in both anxiety and depression symptoms.
Strong Improvement Among Patients With Severe Anxiety
Brave Health measures anxiety symptoms using the GAD-7, a validated clinical tool that helps providers understand symptom severity and track changes over time.
Among patients who entered treatment with severe anxiety:
- 79% experienced an improvement in their GAD-7 score after 12 or more weeks of care.
- 57% achieved a clinically significant improvement of at least four points.
Patients who began care with moderate anxiety also showed meaningful progress. In that group:
- 63% experienced improvement.
- 41% achieved a clinically significant improvement.
That represents a 16-percentage-point difference between the moderate and severe groups on both measures.
Depression Outcomes Improve Across Severity Levels
Patients with depression demonstrated a similar pattern. Brave Health uses the PHQ-9, another validated clinical tool, to measure depression symptoms and monitor progress throughout care.
After 12 or more weeks of treatment:
- 65% of patients with moderate depression improved, and 36% achieved a clinically significant improvement of at least five points.
- 80% of patients with moderately severe depression improved, and 53% achieved a clinically significant improvement.
- 89% of patients with severe depression improved, and 66% achieved a clinically significant improvement.
The results show steady increases in both overall improvement and clinically significant improvement as baseline severity rises.
Understanding the Results in Context
Patients who begin treatment with higher baseline scores have more room for measurable score reduction. Comparisons across severity groups should be understood in that context.
Even so, the findings provide encouraging evidence that patients entering care with substantial symptom burden can benefit from sustained treatment. Severe symptoms do not prevent patients from engaging in virtual care or making meaningful progress.
The results also reinforce the importance of continuity. Mental health improvement takes time, and remaining connected to care for at least 12 weeks gives patients an opportunity to build trust with their providers, follow a consistent treatment plan, and develop momentum toward recovery.
Read the full 2025 Clinical Impact Report to explore the data, population insights, and case studies in more detail.
What This Means for Referral Partners
For referral partners, the takeaway is clear: severe symptoms should not automatically be viewed as a barrier to virtual care.
Connecting patients to timely treatment—and helping them remain engaged—can support meaningful improvement, including among those with the greatest needs. A virtual model can make that continuity more achievable by reducing common barriers such as transportation, limited local provider availability, and scheduling challenges.
Breaking Barriers to Mental Health Care
Getting mental health care shouldn’t feel like winning the lottery. But for many people, especially those relying on Medicaid or Medicare, it still does. Long wait times, limited provider options, and fragmented care mean support often comes too late, or not at all.
Brave Health’s 2025 Clinical Impact Report looks at what happens when those barriers are removed. Using data from more than 55,000 patients, the report tells a clear story: when people can access care quickly — and stay connected to the same clinician — outcomes improve.
When Care Starts Faster, People Get Better Sooner
Across the U.S., it’s common to wait six to twelve weeks for a first therapy or psychiatry appointment. At Brave Health, most patients are seen in about 11 days, and even sooner for those at the highest risk.
That speed isn’t just convenient — it changes the trajectory of care.
Starting treatment early makes it easier for patients to stay engaged, build momentum, and address symptoms before they escalate.
In fact, much of the improvement we see happens within the first 30 to 90 days of care. Fast access gives people a chance to stabilize, rather than spend weeks stuck on a waitlist while things get worse.
Real Improvement Across Depression, Anxiety, and Suicide Risk
The outcomes in this year’s report reflect steady progress across the conditions we see most often:
- 89% of patients with depression improved their PHQ-9 scores within 90 days
- 87% of patients with anxiety improved their GAD-7 scores within 90 days
- 35% of patients entering care with elevated suicide risk showed reduced risk within 90 days
These results matter even more when you look at who we serve. In 2025, Brave Health cared for more than 55,000 patients spanning every stage of life, from young teens to new parents to older adults up to age 102. Our patient population is also racially and ethnically diverse — nearly half identify as people of color, including 24% Black or African American, 21% Hispanic or Latino, and 9% Asian American. Many patients come to care with multiple diagnoses, ongoing social stressors, and limited access to traditional in-person services.
Why Staying With the Same Clinician Matters
One of the most powerful drivers of progress in mental health care is something simple: trust.
At Brave Health, patients are matched with a full-time clinician during their first session, with an intentional focus on fit and continuity. That means fewer handoffs, fewer restarts, and more space to build a real therapeutic relationship.
The result? 96% of patients who complete four therapy sessions continue care with the same clinician.
That level of consistency helps patients feel understood and supported — and it’s a big reason engagement stays strong over time.
Designed for the People Who Need Care the Most
The report takes a closer look at several populations that often face the greatest barriers to mental health care:
Teens & Adolescents
More than 13,000 teens and young adults received care in 2025, with over 80% covered by Medicaid. Despite rising anxiety, depression, and suicide risk nationwide, teens at Brave showed steady improvement when given timely, developmentally appropriate support.
Maternal Mental Health
Nearly one in four Brave patients was pregnant or postpartum. With clinicians trained in perinatal mental health, flexible scheduling, and proactive follow-up during high-risk periods, maternal patients demonstrated strong engagement and meaningful symptom improvement.
Seniors & Older Adults
More than 5,400 patients aged 65 and older — with an average age of 73 — received care through Brave’s virtual model. Their outcomes reinforce something we see again and again: virtual mental health care works for older adults, even those managing complex medical and behavioral health needs.
A Proven Model for Timely, Consistent Mental Health Care
The findings in Brave Health’s 2025 Clinical Impact Report reinforce a simple but powerful idea: mental health care works best when it’s timely, consistent, and built around real-world needs.
By reducing wait times, prioritizing continuity, and delivering evidence-based care through a fully virtual model, Brave Health is helping thousands of people access support sooner — and see meaningful improvement in their mental health.
As demand for mental health care continues to rise, these results offer a clear blueprint for what’s possible when access barriers are removed.
Read the full 2025 Clinical Impact Report to explore the data, population insights, and case studies in more detail.
FAQs
What is the 2025 Clinical Impact Report?
Brave Health’s 2025 Clinical Impact Report is a report summarizing clinical results, engagement metrics, and population insights from more than 55,000 patients who received care in 2025.
What outcomes does the report measure?
The report tracks changes in depression, anxiety, and suicide-risk severity using validated clinical tools, including the PHQ-9, GAD-7, and C-SSRS. Outcomes are measured at intake and over time to assess real-world improvement.
Who are the patients included in the report?
The report reflects a diverse population across the lifespan, including teens, pregnant and postpartum individuals, and older adults. Nearly half of patients identify as people of color, and the majority are covered by Medicaid or Medicare.
Why does fast access to care matter?
Long wait times can worsen symptoms and increase risk. Brave’s model prioritizes rapid access, with most patients seen within about 11 days — and even faster for those recently discharged from inpatient care — helping people stabilize sooner.
Who should read this report?
The report is designed for anyone interested in how virtual mental health care can improve access and outcomes for underserved populations.
In Short
Brave Health’s clinical outcomes data show that patients with severe anxiety and depression can make significant progress through sustained virtual treatment. After 12 or more weeks, most patients who began care with severe symptoms experienced improvement, and more than half achieved a clinically significant reduction in their
By helping patients begin care and remain engaged, referral partners can create a path toward measurable improvement—even for people entering treatment with substantial symptom burden.
Brave Health provides virtual therapy, psychiatry, and medication management for patients ages 13 and older.
