Better Access to Geriatric MH Care Goal of New House Bill

Prevalence and Treatment of Mental Disorders, 1990 to 2003

“…The increased treatment could have been due to: aggressive direct-to-consumer marketing of new psychotropic medications; 19 development of new community programs to promote awareness, screening, and help-seeking for mental disorders; 20 expansion of primary care, managed care, and behavioral "carve-out" systems of mental health services; 21 and new legislation and policies to reduce barriers to service use. 22 Increased access presumably played an independent role. 23 Insurance coverage expanded throughout the decade, while consumer cost sharing declined.…”

“…Programs to expand treatment resources in targeted locations could also be of value, 32 as could initiatives such as legislation to encourage mental health service use among vulnerable elderly patients. 22 Second, efforts are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of widely used treatments for which no effectiveness data exist and to increase use of evidence-based treatments. The expansion of disease management programs, treatment quality assurance programs, and "report cards" are important steps in this direction.…”

Twelve-Month Use of Mental Health Services in the United States

“…Interventions of this type could include renewed community awareness and screening programs, new means for financing mental health services, and expansion of treatment resources for underserved areas. 14,15,[30][31][32]97 Second, interventions are needed to improve the quality of care delivered to patients with mental disorders. Several disease management programs that enhance treatment adequacy and adherence have already been proved successful and costeffective.…”

“…[20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29] New policies have been introduced to reduce barriers to service use, including parity legislation and initiatives for vulnerable elderly populations and those with a serious mental illness. [30][31][32] The rapidity of these changes has rendered earlier information on mental health treatment obsolete. Up-to-date data are needed to assess the impact of recent changes in mental health delivery systems and to guide mental health care (HC) policy initiatives.…”

Trends in Suicide Ideation, Plans, Gestures, and Attempts in the United States, 1990-1992 to 2001-2003

“…[26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34] It is not clear how to interpret the finding that suicide-related behaviors did not decrease when treatment increased dramatically. Completed suicides decreased by about 6% during this period.…”