Public Health Commons^™

The Need For Depression And Anxiety Screenings At A Student-Run Clinic, Shayna Peterzell, Sahil Parikh, Alicia Podwojniak, Vibha Chauhan, Riya Tandra, Emily Forester, Saumil Parikh, Jessica-Sophie Horoschak, Patrick Pearce, Roma Padalkar, Sobiah Khan, Tara Pellegrino

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

General anxiety and major depressive disorder are common and treatable mental health disorders. The US Preventive Services Task Force provides strong evidence that early screening helps identify depression in primary care settings, promotes intervention and facilitates treatment. Many medical offices use validated screening tools, GAD-7 and PHQ-9, to measure symptom severities and further help guide treatment modalities for patients with anxiety and depression, respectively. The Rowan Community Health Clinic (RCHC) in Lindenwold, NJ is a student-run free clinic that serves patients regardless of patient gender, race, income, or insurance status. This study aims to determine if there is a need …

Objective Coding Of Content And Techniques In Workplace-Based Supervision Of An Ebt In Public Mental Health, Shannon Dorsey, Suzanne E U Kerns, Leah Lucid, Michael D Pullmann, Julie P Harrison, Lucy Berliner, Kelly Thompson, Esther Deblinger

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

BACKGROUND: Workplace-based clinical supervision as an implementation strategy to support evidence-based treatment (EBT) in public mental health has received limited research attention. A commonly provided infrastructure support, it may offer a relatively cost-neutral implementation strategy for organizations. However, research has not objectively examined workplace-based supervision of EBT and specifically how it might differ from EBT supervision provided in efficacy and effectiveness trials.

METHODS: Data come from a descriptive study of supervision in the context of a state-funded EBT implementation effort. Verbal interactions from audio recordings of 438 supervision sessions between 28 supervisors and 70 clinicians from 17 public mental health …

Community Mental Health Services And The Prevalence Of Severe Mental Illness In Local Jails: Are They Related, William Fisher, Ira Packer, Lorna Simon, David Smith

Ira K Packer

The excessive prevalence of severe mental illness noted in correctional settings has sometimes been attributed to the inadequacy of community based mental health services. This study examines the prevalence of severe mental illness in two jails situated within catchment areas featuring markedly different levels of community mental health services. We use these settings to test the hypothesis that greater levels of services in a community are associated with lower prevalence of severe mental illness in the community's jail. An epidemiologic approach, using standardized field instruments, was used to estimate the prevalence of major mental illness in detainees arriving at the …

Elders With Serious Mental Illness: Lost Opportunities And New Policy Options, Darlene O'Connor, Faith Little, Richard Mcmanus

Richard H. McManus

This article reviews key federal Medicaid policies affecting older adults with serious, long-term mental illness: (a) the Medicaid exclusion of coverage for Institutions for Mental Diseases, (b) the Preadmission Screening and Resident Review Process, and (c) the Medicaid Home and Community Based Services waiver policy. Documenting the incentives and restrictions in these policies provides an historical context for understanding the current gaps in treatment for elders with mental illness. New federal options under the Deficit Reduction Act may provide opportunities for reducing the institutional bias for older adults with mental illness and for improving mental health services for elders under …

Elders With Serious Mental Illness: Lost Opportunities And New Policy Options, Darlene O'Connor, Faith Little, Richard Mcmanus

Richard H. McManus

This article reviews key federal Medicaid policies affecting older adults with serious, long-term mental illness: (a) the Medicaid exclusion of coverage for Institutions for Mental Diseases, (b) the Preadmission Screening and Resident Review Process, and (c) the Medicaid Home and Community Based Services waiver policy. Documenting the incentives and restrictions in these policies provides an historical context for understanding the current gaps in treatment for elders with mental illness. New federal options under the Deficit Reduction Act may provide opportunities for reducing the institutional bias for older adults with mental illness and for improving mental health services for elders under …

Determinants Of Negative Pathways To Care And Their Impact On Service Disengagement In First-Episode Psychosis., Kelly K. Anderson, Rebecca Fuhrer, Norbert Schmitz, Ashok K Malla

Epidemiology and Biostatistics Publications

PURPOSE: Although there have been numerous studies on pathways to care in first-episode psychosis (FEP), few have examined the determinants of the pathway to care and its impact on subsequent engagement with mental health services.

METHODS: Using a sample of 324 FEP patients from a catchment area-based early intervention (EI) program in Montréal, we estimated the association of several socio-demographic, clinical, and service-level factors with negative pathways to care and treatment delay. We also assessed the impact of the pathway to care on time to disengagement from EI services.

RESULTS: Few socio-demographic or clinical factors were predictive of negative pathways …

Family Options For Parents With Mental Illnesses: A Developmental, Mixed Methods Pilot Study, Joanne Nicholson, Karen Albert, Bernice Gershenson, Valerie Williams, Kathleen Biebel

Joanne Nicholson

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this paper is to provide a description of Family Options, a rehabilitation intervention for parents with serious mental illnesses and their children focusing on recovery and resilience, and to report the findings from a pilot study at 6-months post-enrollment for participating mothers. METHODS: A developmental design, and mixed quantitative and qualitative methods facilitate an in-depth understanding of Family Options and its impact on parents early in the implementation process. RESULTS: Participating families faced significant challenges, including long-term mental health conditions in adults, and emotional and behavioral difficulties in children. Data from mothers (n = 22) demonstrate …

Supporting Parents With Mental Health Needs In Systems Of Care, Barbara Friesen, Judith Katz-Leavy, Joanne Nicholson

Joanne Nicholson

Summary: Community-based systems of care (SOCs) must address both the needs of parents with mental illness and the needs of their children. Learning more about the challenges faced by SOCs in this area, and the strategies they implement to overcome them, provides insights with implications for the broader field. This project was intended to learn more about efforts to assess parents’ mental health needs, effectively engage and support them, and improve system coordination and access to services to inform service delivery and system reform, especially for those involved in both child welfare and mental health. This report presents information gathered …