Group items tagged

From the abstract: "the current study provides a n analysis of homeless and runaway youths' attitudes towards mental health servic es in order to identify possible factors t hat can assist service providers with understanding and increasing service engagement . V ariables examined included help seeking propensity, psychological openness , concern for mental health stigma, parental maltreat ment, street victimization and services n eeds assessment. The current study also examines the relationship between social support and attitudes toward mental health services. A comparison sample of housed youth was obtained in order to de termine if mental health attitudes are unique to homeless y outh. Fifty - six youth who identified as homeless were recruited through youth drop - in centers and a shelter in Northern California , and 97 housed youth were recruited from alternative community continuation schools in the same region . A nalys is of v ariance iii showed that homeless and housed groups did not differ significant ly on attitudes toward mental health services, help seeking propensity, psychological openness, and concern for mental health stigma . Additional f indings revealed that , for homeless youth, t he more perceived friend support , the more their concern for mental health stigma decreased and the more supportive individuals available , the more positive attitudes toward mental health services and help seeking propensity increased . Comparison of correl ations between homeless and housed groups revealed only one significant difference; the association between perceived family support and help seeking propensity was strongest for the housed group than for the homeless group . Results demonstrate d that home less youth and housed youth share similar attitudes toward mental health services , help seeking propensity, psychological openness, and c o ncern for mental health stigma. Mean scores obtained on these measures were comparable to the only existing study on

"includes mental health statistics at the national and State levels from 35 different data sources. The report is organized into three sections: * People: the mental health status of the U.S. population and prevalence of mental illness; * Providers: providers and settings for mental health services, types of mental health services, and rates of utilization; * Payers: expenditures and sources of funding for mental health services"

from the introduction: "his progress report outlines advances made to date to expand the quality and availability of mental health care services for active military service members, veterans, and their families. Highlights of the report include: Increasing the capacity of the Veterans Crisis Line Building partnerships between the VA and community-based mental health providers Increasing the number of VA mental health providers and peer specialists Implementing a national suicide prevention campaign."

"unless states carefully regulate the plans that compete in the exchanges and the benefits that they offer, people with mental illness, who typically have higher health care costs, are at risk of receiving poorer quality care."

There is increasing interest in online collaborative learning tools in health education, to reduce costs, and to offer alternative communication opportunities. Patients and students often have extensive experience of using the Internet for health information and support, and many health organisations are increasingly trying out online tools, while many healthcare professionals are unused to, and have reservations about, online interaction. ... In this article we address two main research questions: 1. How did MHPs and MHSUs interact on an online collaborative forum? 2. What helped or hindered collaborative learning in this online medical education context? "

"Summary: Congress and the VA Secretary requested the OIG determine how accurately the Veterans Health Administration records wait times for mental health services for both new patients and established patients visits and if the wait time data VA collects is an accurate depiction of the veteran's ability to access those services."

"As the U.S. population undergoes continuous shifts the population's health profile changes dynamically resulting in more or less expression of certain psychiatric disorders and utilization of health-care resources. In this paper, we analyze national data on the psychiatric morbidity of American patients and their summated cost in different age groups. Methods: The latest data (2009) on the number of hospital discharges and national bill (hospital charges) linked with psychiatric disorders were extracted from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS). Results: National data shows that mood disorders are the largest diagnostic category in terms of percentage of psychiatri-crelated discharges in the 1 - 17 years age group. The proportion decreases gradually as age progresses while delirium, dementia, amnestic and other cognitive disorders increase exponentially after 65 years of age. Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders as well as alcohol and substance-related disorders peak in the working age groups (18 - 64 years). From an economic point of view, mood disorders in the 18 - 44 age group has the highest national bill ($5.477 billion) followed by schizophrenic and other psychotic disorders in the same age group ($4.337 billion) and mood disorders in the 45 - 64 age group ($4.310 billion). On the third place come schizophrenic and other psychotic disorders in the 45 - 64 age group ($3.931 billion). Conclusion: This paper illustrates the high cost of psychiatric care in the U.S., especially the large fraction of healthcare money spent on working-age patients suffering from mood disorders. This underlines psychiatric cost-efficiency as a vital topic in the current healthcare debate. "

From the Chronicle of Higher Education

Excellent article - intense academic study in any field can place a strain on students' mental health. Yet the added stress of needing to be "creative on demand" is worth considering.

Thanks for your insightful comment, Sarah. I agree. There seem to be more and more reports of students struggling with mental health issues. I did a double take when I read about the six hour art classes at some IHEs. The therapist's dilemma of treating the patient while not wanting to stifle creativity also seems problematic. Thanks again for posting.

"MentalHealth.gov provides one-stop access to U.S. government mental health and mental health problems information."

Literature review of twenty years worth of studies revealing some disadvantages for people with behavioral health issues

The program also connects patients to other community resources and addresses health, social, and logistical barriers to care. The program significantly enhanced access to appropriate care and improved client understanding of their medical condition, resulting in enhanced health functioning and a significant decline in emergency department use and costs for nonemergent conditions.

An online newspaper that collects together the week's news relating to health education. Read and subscribe free at: http://paper.li/f-1327779598

Find out more about health education degree programs, where you can study it online, the career and salary prospects after completion, and more ...

An online newspaper that collects together the week's news relating to health education. Read and subscribe free at:  http://paper.li/f-1327779598

speech from Kathleen Sibelius

mental health versus mental illness

Beginning in 2010, employers no longer have the option of choosing which mental health treatments they will cover for employees.