The Mental Health Needs Council of Harris County: A Case Report on Community Collaboration and Adult Mental Illness Prevalence Assessment and Service Need Analysis

Author(s):  
William B. Schnapp ◽  
J. Scott Hickey ◽  
Spencer Bayles
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dror Ben-Zeev ◽  
Ayesha Chander ◽  
Justin Tauscher ◽  
Benjamin Buck ◽  
Subigya Nepal ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND People with serious mental illness (SMI) have significant unmet mental health needs. Development and testing of digital interventions that can alleviate the suffering of people with SMI is a public health priority. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to conduct a fully remote randomized waitlist-controlled trial of CORE, a smartphone intervention that comprises daily exercises designed to promote reassessment of dysfunctional beliefs in multiple domains. METHODS Individuals were recruited via the web using Google and Facebook advertisements. Enrolled participants were randomized into either active intervention or waitlist control groups. Participants completed the Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition (BDI-II), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Hamilton Program for Schizophrenia Voices, Green Paranoid Thought Scale, Recovery Assessment Scale (RAS), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), Friendship Scale, and Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) at baseline (T1), 30-day (T2), and 60-day (T3) assessment points. Participants in the active group used CORE from T1 to T2, and participants in the waitlist group used CORE from T2 to T3. Both groups completed usability and accessibility measures after they concluded their intervention periods. RESULTS Overall, 315 individuals from 45 states participated in this study. The sample comprised individuals with self-reported bipolar disorder (111/315, 35.2%), major depressive disorder (136/315, 43.2%), and schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (68/315, 21.6%) who displayed moderate to severe symptoms and disability levels at baseline. Participants rated CORE as highly usable and acceptable. Intent-to-treat analyses showed significant treatment×time interactions for the BDI-II (<i>F</i><sub>1,313</sub>=13.38; <i>P&lt;</i>.001), GAD-7 (<i>F</i><sub>1,313</sub>=5.87; <i>P</i>=.01), RAS (<i>F</i><sub>1,313</sub>=23.42; <i>P&lt;</i>.001), RSES (<i>F</i><sub>1,313</sub>=19.28; <i>P&lt;</i>.001), and SDS (<i>F</i><sub>1,313</sub>=10.73; <i>P</i>=.001). Large effects were observed for the BDI-II (<i>d=</i>0.58), RAS (<i>d=</i>0.61), and RSES (<i>d=</i>0.64); a moderate effect size was observed for the SDS (<i>d=</i>0.44), and a small effect size was observed for the GAD-7 (<i>d=</i>0.20). Similar changes in outcome measures were later observed in the waitlist control group participants following crossover after they received CORE (T2 to T3). Approximately 41.5% (64/154) of participants in the active group and 60.2% (97/161) of participants in the waitlist group were retained at T2, and 33.1% (51/154) of participants in the active group and 40.3% (65/161) of participants in the waitlist group were retained at T3. CONCLUSIONS We successfully recruited, screened, randomized, treated, and assessed a geographically dispersed sample of participants with SMI entirely via the web, demonstrating that fully remote clinical trials are feasible in this population; however, study retention remains challenging. CORE showed promise as a usable, acceptable, and effective tool for reducing the severity of psychiatric symptoms and disability while improving recovery and self-esteem. Rapid adoption and real-world dissemination of evidence-based mobile health interventions such as CORE are needed if we are to shorten the science-to-service gap and address the significant unmet mental health needs of people with SMI during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04068467; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04068467


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephane Shepherd ◽  
Cieran Harries ◽  
Benjamin Spivak ◽  
Anne-Sophie Pichler ◽  
Rosemary Purcell

Abstract Background Mental ill-health can impact an individual’s capacity to interact with others, make decisions, and cope with social challenges. This is of particular importance for many Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) individuals who may be at various stages of the acculturation process. The increasing diversity of the Australian population necessitates informed and culturally relevant services that meet the needs of a changing demographic. However the extant research on the mental health needs of CALD Australians is limited. This study aimed to further our understanding of the mental health needs of young CALD Australians by exploring the mental health concerns and social factors exhibited by CALD individuals accessing community based youth mental health services in two major cities. Methods We performed a series of logistic regression models to ascertain if a concert of factors (i.e., clinical, socio-economic, criminal justice system involvement, child maltreatment, social support) were associated with CALD status Results Comparisons across factors revealed no significant differences between groups. A small number of correlates differentiated between CALD and non-CALD participants (mental illness diagnosis during childhood, family history of mental illness/suicide, sensation seeking, sensitivity to punishment, maternal overprotection) however these factors were no longer meaningful after adjustment for multiple comparisons. Conclusions In help-seeking mainstream youth populations, cultural differences across clinical and environmental factors appear to be minimal.


2021 ◽  
pp. 002581722110105
Author(s):  
Howard Ryland ◽  
Andrew Forrester ◽  
Tim Exworthy ◽  
Shaun Gallagher ◽  
Lynne Ramsay ◽  
...  

Criminal justice liaison and diversion services identify people with mental health needs and ensure they receive appropriate support. We describe a 25-year period of one such service that deals with a population of 864,540 in South East London that was set up in 1991. We used data from three time periods. A diagnosis of a mental illness was recorded in 70.0–80.3% of court liaison and diversion referrals. The proportion receiving a hospital order declined from 15.4% in 1991/1992 to 1.1% in 2015/2016; 54/199 (27.1%) of referrals to the police liaison and diversion service were detained in hospital. Although the service is designed to support any individual with a mental health issue, these results suggest that it has dealt mainly with people who have severe mental illness. Further research is required to understand how best to benefit a wider range of people with mental health issues who attend the lower (Magistrates’) courts, and whether screening for mental disorders can be applied in liaison and diversion settings to aid the implementation of national policy. We also need to understand how disposal decisions are made, and which are most effective.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piper Vornholt ◽  
Munmun De Choudhury

BACKGROUND Mental illness is a growing concern within many college campuses. Limited access to therapy resources, along with the fear of stigma, often prevents students from seeking help. Introducing supportive interventions, coping strategies, and mitigation programs might decrease the negative effects of mental illness among college students. OBJECTIVE Many college students find social support for a variety of needs through social media platforms. With the pervasive adoption of social media sites in college populations, in this study, we examine whether and how these platforms may help meet college students’ mental health needs. METHODS We first conducted a survey among 101 students, followed by semistructured interviews (n=11), of a large public university in the southeast region of the United States to understand whether, to what extent, and how students appropriate social media platforms to suit their struggle with mental health concerns. The interviews were intended to provide comprehensive information on students’ attitudes and their perceived benefits and limitations of social media as platforms for mental health support. RESULTS Our survey revealed that a large number of participating students (71/101, 70.3%) had recently experienced some form of stress, anxiety, or other mental health challenges related to college life. Half of them (52/101, 51.5%) also reported having appropriated some social media platforms for self-disclosure or help, indicating the pervasiveness of this practice. Through our interviews, we obtained deeper insights into these initial observations. We identified specific academic, personal, and social life stressors; motivations behind social media use for mental health needs; and specific platform affordances that helped or hindered this use. CONCLUSIONS Students recognized the benefits of social media in helping connect with peers on campus and promoting informal and candid disclosures. However, they argued against complete anonymity in platforms for mental health help and advocated the need for privacy and boundary regulation mechanisms in social media platforms supporting this use. Our findings bear implications for informing campus counseling efforts and in designing social media–based mental health support tools for college students.


10.2196/29201 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (11) ◽  
pp. e29201
Author(s):  
Dror Ben-Zeev ◽  
Ayesha Chander ◽  
Justin Tauscher ◽  
Benjamin Buck ◽  
Subigya Nepal ◽  
...  

Background People with serious mental illness (SMI) have significant unmet mental health needs. Development and testing of digital interventions that can alleviate the suffering of people with SMI is a public health priority. Objective The aim of this study is to conduct a fully remote randomized waitlist-controlled trial of CORE, a smartphone intervention that comprises daily exercises designed to promote reassessment of dysfunctional beliefs in multiple domains. Methods Individuals were recruited via the web using Google and Facebook advertisements. Enrolled participants were randomized into either active intervention or waitlist control groups. Participants completed the Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition (BDI-II), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Hamilton Program for Schizophrenia Voices, Green Paranoid Thought Scale, Recovery Assessment Scale (RAS), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), Friendship Scale, and Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) at baseline (T1), 30-day (T2), and 60-day (T3) assessment points. Participants in the active group used CORE from T1 to T2, and participants in the waitlist group used CORE from T2 to T3. Both groups completed usability and accessibility measures after they concluded their intervention periods. Results Overall, 315 individuals from 45 states participated in this study. The sample comprised individuals with self-reported bipolar disorder (111/315, 35.2%), major depressive disorder (136/315, 43.2%), and schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (68/315, 21.6%) who displayed moderate to severe symptoms and disability levels at baseline. Participants rated CORE as highly usable and acceptable. Intent-to-treat analyses showed significant treatment×time interactions for the BDI-II (F1,313=13.38; P<.001), GAD-7 (F1,313=5.87; P=.01), RAS (F1,313=23.42; P<.001), RSES (F1,313=19.28; P<.001), and SDS (F1,313=10.73; P=.001). Large effects were observed for the BDI-II (d=0.58), RAS (d=0.61), and RSES (d=0.64); a moderate effect size was observed for the SDS (d=0.44), and a small effect size was observed for the GAD-7 (d=0.20). Similar changes in outcome measures were later observed in the waitlist control group participants following crossover after they received CORE (T2 to T3). Approximately 41.5% (64/154) of participants in the active group and 60.2% (97/161) of participants in the waitlist group were retained at T2, and 33.1% (51/154) of participants in the active group and 40.3% (65/161) of participants in the waitlist group were retained at T3. Conclusions We successfully recruited, screened, randomized, treated, and assessed a geographically dispersed sample of participants with SMI entirely via the web, demonstrating that fully remote clinical trials are feasible in this population; however, study retention remains challenging. CORE showed promise as a usable, acceptable, and effective tool for reducing the severity of psychiatric symptoms and disability while improving recovery and self-esteem. Rapid adoption and real-world dissemination of evidence-based mobile health interventions such as CORE are needed if we are to shorten the science-to-service gap and address the significant unmet mental health needs of people with SMI during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04068467; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04068467


2019 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 112-120
Author(s):  
Roswitha Dharampal ◽  
Cornelius Ani

Aims and methodTo review the literature on the emotional and mental health needs of young carers of parents with mental illness and the extent to which such needs are recognised and supported by professionals. Three databases were systematically searched from 2008 to 2018, and five studies met the inclusion criteria.ResultsThe key findings were that young caregivers had a significantly higher dose-response mortality risk than their peers; were at increased risk of mental health difficulties, especially where the ill family member was a parent and had mental illness or misused substances; were overlooked by professionals owing to a lack of awareness; but could derive benefits from their caring role when appropriately supported.Clinical implicationsYoung carers are at increased risk regarding emotional and mental health needs; this risk could be mitigated by professionals recognising the young carer's role and including them in their parent's treatment plan.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 117955732096252
Author(s):  
Steven P Segal ◽  
Vicky C Khoury ◽  
Ramy Salah ◽  
Jess Ghannam

Aims: This study examines factors potentially contributing to unattended mental health needs among primary care patients in Lebanon’s Shatila Palestinian Refugee Camp in order to understand the prevalence of such needs and improve clinical practice with refugees and other vulnerable groups. Methods: Data collection (2012-13) involved researcher administered structured surveys of primary healthcare-clinic patients (n = 254) using the K6, the PC-PTSD, and the Modified-MINI mental illness screens. Chi. Sq., ANOVA and Principal Component analysis evaluate associations and differences in sample characteristics; Logistic regression evaluates factors associated with unattended-positive-mental-health-screens. Results: The sample (n = 254) included 55% females and 45% males; aged 18 to 89, M = 40.4 (±13). About 51.6% (n = 132) screened positive for mental illness, for these individuals only 11.4% (15 of 132) spoke to their physician about mental illness or had an acknowledged record of psychological problems. Thus 88.6% (n = 117) of those who screened positive, had unattended positive-screens. Univariate tests indicated that patients with “negative-screens,” those with “attended positive-screens,” and those with “unattended positive-screens” differed in their social and psychological characteristics as well as their relationship with the primary care setting. Overall multivariable Logistic results indicated that patients with unattended positive-screens were 34% less likely to have higher SES scores for each step up in status [OR = 0.66; CI: 0.48-0.89] and 58% less likely to have access to a provider for advice or assistance [OR = 0.42; CI: 0.20-0.88]. They were 2.2 times more likely to be females [OR = 2.20; CI: 1.22-3.95], and 5.26 times more likely to attribute their mental illness to a physical illness [OR = 5.26; CI: 2.36-11.74]. Conclusion: Large numbers of patients screen positive for mental illness who do not have their mental health need addressed during their primary care visit. This seems an issue rooted in a lack of psychoeducation about what is mental versus physical illness, female specific access to care, stigma toward mental illness, and cross-SES-communication. Improved communication in primary care, especially as it serves vulnerable refugee populations might significantly reduce the prevalence of untreated mental illness.


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