Mental healthcare waiting lists top 101,000 people; Half waiting longer than 14 weeks
Waiting lists for mental healthcare in the Netherlands continue to grow. Last year, over 101,000 people were waiting for treatment, and more than half of them had been waiting for longer than the agreed-upon 14 weeks. The number of patients exceeding the maximum waiting time has grown by 35 percent in a year, the program Radar reported after studying the Dutch Healthcare Authority’s new dashboard with MIND.
This year, the NZa stopped its annual report on healthcare waiting lists and replaced it with the new dashboard "View on Care Providers.” Radar and MIND, the organization that represents patients in mental healthcare, analyzed the dashboard to gain insight into the current situation. “Waiting times in mental healthcare rose again in 2025,” the program concluded.
In October 2025, there were 101,134 people on waiting lists for mental healthcare treatment. Of these, 65,091 were waiting for longer than 14 weeks. The average waiting time to start mental health treatment was 24 weeks last year, three weeks longer than in 2024.
Radar also discovered that people who need help urgently wait the longest. For example, the average waiting time for treatment for personality disorders was 32 weeks last year.
Even the waiting periods for intake interviews - the interview to figure out what treatment the patient needs and where to get it - are significantly longer than the agreed-upon time. Last year, people in need of mental healthcare waited an average of 14 weeks for an intake interview. The agreed-upon maximum is four weeks.
MIND director Dienke Bos calls the figures unacceptable, pointing out that mental health conditions can worsen if left untreated. She urged the new Cabinet to improve access to mental healthcare by intervening in the healthcare system. “Crucial mental healthcare must be removed from the free market.”
In a written response, the NZa told Radar that the long waiting lists are undesirable and urgent, but also stressed that this is a shared responsibility.
“Improving access to mental healthcare for people who need it is a high priority for us. We are working together with all other parties with a responsibility in this regard. We expect healthcare providers and health insurers to make agreements on improving access to mental healthcare, both nationally and regionally. Collaboration with the social services sector and municipalities is crucial for this: not all requests for help belong in mental healthcare,” the NZa said.
