Springer Science and Business Media LLC

The integration of multiple ancillary services into mental health treatment settings may improve outcomes, but there are no national studies addressing whether comprehensive services are distributed equitably. We investigated whether the availability of a wide range of service types differs based on the facility’s racial/ethnic composition. We used the 2020 National Mental Health Services Survey to identify twelve services offered in outpatient mental health treatment facilities (N = 1,074 facilities). We used logistic regression to model each of the twelve services, predicted by the percentage of a facility’s clientele that was White, Black, and Hispanic, adjusted for covariates. Facilities with the highest proportions of Black and Hispanic clientele demonstrated the lowest predicted probabilities of offering comprehensive and integrated services. Our findings offer context around upstream factors that may, in part, drive treatment disparities. We orient our findings around frameworks of structural racism and inequities in mental healthcare.

In an effort to expand employment opportunities available to psychiatric consumers, a research demonstration project was developed to incorporate vocational services into case management teams. Following psychiatric rehabilitation principles, Project WINS employs professionals as Vocational Specialists and consumers as Peer Support Specialists to work with clients and their case managers. This report describes the characteristics of clients eligible for WINS services, the implementation of the program, and the impact of WINS on clients and on the mental health and vocational systems. It also describes the challenges and barriers this innovative service is confronting.

The study objective was to measure and compare the presence of childhood trauma and dissociative symptoms in a convenience sample of healthy controls and a probabilistic sample of outpatients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Patients reported more childhood trauma and more polytraumatization than the controls, and had a higher average dissociation score. In both cases and controls, the presence of childhood trauma was related to the intensity of the dissociation observed. Childhood trauma, clinical dissociation and schizophrenia are closely related, particularly when the patient has been the victim of more than one type of abuse.

A description and analysis of the Range Mental Health Center's professional activities are presented. The results of this program analysis suggest that a public health, consultation-oriented mental health center can provide equitable and effective services to a large geographic area. Maintenance of ongoing consultative relationships with a variety of community caretaker groups appears to he a key factor in providing these services. Initial findings suggest that mental health consultation services assist community caretakers in managing emotionally disturbed clients effectively, thus broadening significantly the impact of the mental health center staff upon community mental health.

The purpose of this study was to examine youth perceptions of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) communication with their pediatric providers, their reported adherence to their ADHD medications, and their desired location for an ADHD educational program. Youth ages 7 through 17 with an ADHD diagnosis were recruited. A research associate interviewed the youth. Parents completed demographic questionnaires. Seventy families participated. One-third of the youth wanted more discussion about ADHD with their providers during visits. The average youth had over eight questions about ADHD and its treatment. Most youth wanted to learn about ADHD at their provider’s office. Non-white and older youth were significantly more likely to be less adherent to their ADHD medications. Youth want their providers to engage them more during visits. Providers should take advantage of this interest to engage youth more in discussions regarding ADHD and its treatment during pediatric ADHD visits.

As non-profit psychosocial rehabilitation agencies take over providing many of the services once provided by governmental facilities in some locales, consultation to the staff of these agencies can be very productive. Using a revised community consultation model, the author lists some of the issues that are regularly raised by staff, and discusses the functions that this kind of consultation can fulfill in this important sector of community mental health services.

State mental health agencies in the United States manage increasingly larger and complex systems of care. This requires an increasingly sophisticated workforce and decision support infrastructure. However, with the exception of larger states with their own research and evaluation offices, few states have the necessary resources to develop these important elements. Bringing in talent from academic organizations who have research as a priority may be the preferred direction for many states. The unique approach developed in South Carolina is the first systematic collaboration between a state mental health system and a multi-institutional, inter-disciplinary academic group oriented towards developing a comprehensive, statewide infrastructure for policy-relevant mental health services research.

Objective: To provide a rationale for working with families of clients with psychiatric and substance use disorder, and to describe a new program, family intervention for dual disorders (FIDD). Method: We developed and manualized the FIDD program, which includes both single-family and multiple-family group formats. We trained several clinicians at a local mental health center in the model and conducted a small pilot study. Results: Clinicians were able to implement the program, and to successfully engage families in treatment. Most clients demonstrated significant improvements in substance abuse over one to two years of treatment. Conclusions: The FIDD program is feasible and appears to promote collaboration between families and professionals, thereby improving the course of dual disorders. Controlled research is underway to evaluate the effects of the FIDD program on client and family outcomes.