Contracting for Public Mental Health Services: Opinions of Managed Behavioral Health Care Organizations

2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terry Savela ◽  
◽  
Gail Robinson ◽  
Sarah Crow
2006 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 347-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary Steel ◽  
Robert Mcdonald ◽  
Derrick Silove ◽  
Adrian Bauman ◽  
Phil Sandford ◽  
...  

Objective: To examine the pathways to mental health care followed by patients presenting for the first time to community- and hospital-based services and the degree to which individual characteristics, cultural background, illness type, severity and service-related variables influence the time and pathways taken to reach care. Method: One hundred and forty-six consecutive Australian-born, Asian and Arabicspeaking patients making their first lifetime contact with mental health services in two area health regions were included. Symptom severity was assessed using the Health of the Nations Outcome Scales. Illness explanatory models, social support, English-language proficiency and acculturation were also assessed. Results: An average of three professional consultations were made prior to first contact with public mental health services. Family physicians occupied a pivotal role in the helpseeking pathway with 53% of patients consulting a general practitioner. The median time taken to reach specialist mental health services was 6 months, with significantly shorter time for patients with psychotic disorders. Individual variables such as gender, social support, ethnicity and English flency were not associated with delays in receiving public mental health care. Ethnicity was associated with lower utilization of allied health professionals. Conclusions: The data suggest that social and cultural factors influence the range of professionals consulted by those with a mental illness but do not delay their presentation to public mental health services.


2021 ◽  
pp. 103985622199264
Author(s):  
Henry Jackson ◽  
Caroline Hunt ◽  
Carol Hulbert

Objective: Clinical psychologists are practitioners with expertise in mental health, who apply advanced psychological theory and knowledge to their practice in order to assess and treat complex psychological disorders. Given their robust specialised mental health training, clinical psychology is an integral component of the Australian mental health workforce, but is under-utilised. Recent reviews have identified significant problems with Australia’s mental health system, including unequal access to clinical psychology services and fragmentation of service delivery, including convoluted pathways to care. Conclusions: Clinical psychology is well placed to contribute meaningfully to public mental health services (PMHS). We describe what clinical psychologists currently contribute to team-based care in PMHS, how we could further contribute and the barriers to making more extensive contributions. We identify significant historical and organisational factors that have limited the contribution made by clinical psychologists and provide suggestions for cultural change to PMHS.


2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 313-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Todd P. Gilmer ◽  
Victoria D. Ojeda ◽  
Dahlia Fuentes ◽  
Viviana Criado ◽  
Piedad Garcia

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