Science News about Mental Health Services Research

Science/AAAS Webinar on Translational Neuroscience Research Featuring NIMH’s Carlos A. Zarate, M.D.

Science Update • February 14, 2013

Want to know how the latest findings in neuroscience research go from bench to bedside? NIMH and Science/AAAS partnered to produce an informative webinar on translating neurobiological research into treatments.

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on the State of Mental Health Care in the United States

Science Update • February 05, 2013

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius discusses state of U.S. mental health care, commemorates JFK’s speech on the topic 50 years ago.

50 years ago, President John F. Kennedy Sent a Special Message to Congress About the State of Mental Health

Science Update • January 29, 2013

Fifty years ago, President John F. Kennedy addressed Congress about the state of mental health—and changed the way Americans view mental health care.

Leading Neurobiologist Appointed NIMH Scientific Director

Press Release • January 24, 2013

Renowned neurobiologist Susan Amara recently joined NIMH as scientific director of its intramural research program.

Support Program Can Help Caregivers Cope with Relative’s Mental Illness

Science Update • June 27, 2011

A free, nationally available program can significantly improve a family’s ability to cope with an ill relative’s mental disorder, according to an NIMH-funded study published June 2011 in Psychiatric Services, a journal of the American Psychiatric Association.

Majority of Youth with Mental Disorders May Not Be Receiving Sufficient Services

Science Update • January 04, 2011

A substantial proportion of youth with severe mental disorders do not receive mental health care, according to data from an NIMH-funded survey published in the January 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

New Grant Aims to Identify and Reduce Suicide Among Emergency Department Patients

Science Update • January 13, 2010

A new NIMH-funded grant aims to increase suicide detection and prevention efforts among patients who present with suicide risk factors in hospital emergency departments.

Economic Analysis Estimates Cost of Providing Comprehensive Mental Health Care Following Disasters

Science Update • August 11, 2009

Making evidence-based mental health services accessible to everyone in a disaster-stricken area would have substantial public health benefits, according to a statistical model developed by NIMH-funded researchers.

Youth with Autism Coming of Age: New NIMH Study Will Focus on Transitions in Service Use and Coverage

Science Update • August 07, 2009

The transition from teen to young adult involves many highly anticipated rites of passage. However, for youths with developmental disorders, coming of age may signal the sudden end of coverage for education and training programs, health insurance, and youth-oriented services.

Expert Panel Addresses High Rates of Smoking in People with Psychiatric Disorders

Science Update • February 18, 2009

Numerous biological, psychological, and social factors are likely to play a role in the high rates of smoking in people with psychiatric disorders, according to the report of an expert panel convened by the National Institute of Mental Health. The report reviews current literature and identifies research needed to clarify these factors and their interactions, and to improve treatment aimed at reducing the rates of illness and mortality from smoking in this population.

Health Care Costs Much Higher for Older Adults with Depression Plus Other Medical Conditions

Science Update • February 13, 2009

Medicare participants who have diabetes or congestive heart failure as well as depression have significantly higher health care costs than their counterparts who do not have co-existing depression, according to a recent NIMH-funded analysis published online ahead of print January 16, 2009, in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society.

New Research to Help People with Mental Disorders Quit Smoking

Science Update • April 04, 2008

A new grant funded by NIMH will develop an intervention designed to help people with serious mental illness (SMI) quit smoking. The addiction is very common among people with SMI, and contributes significantly to deteriorating health and higher costs for care. But it is difficult to treat among people with SMI because they require a tailored approach that is incorporated into their existing mental health treatment.

Paying More for Prescriptions May Limit Seniors’ Access to Antidepressants

Science Update • April 02, 2008

New cost-sharing policies may prevent some older adults diagnosed with depression from filling new antidepressant prescriptions, according to an analysis published in the April 2008 issue of Psychiatric Services.

Primary Care Doctors May Overlook Elderly Patients’ Mental Health

Science Update • February 25, 2008

Doctors spend little time discussing mental health issues with their older patients and rarely refer them to a mental health specialist even if they show symptoms of severe depression, according to an NIMH-funded study published December 2007 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Team Care for Depressed Older Adults Cuts Overall Medical Costs

Science Update • February 14, 2008

A team approach to depression treatment for older adults, already shown to be effective, is also less expensive than usual care, according to an NIMH-funded study published February 2008 in the American Journal of Managed Care.

Hurricane Katrina Survivors Lack Access to Mental Health Services

Science Update • December 17, 2007

The majority of Hurricane Katrina survivors who developed mental disorders after the disaster are not receiving the mental health services they need, and many who were receiving mental health care prior to the hurricane were not able to continue with treatment, according to an NIMH-funded study published online ahead of print December 17, 2007, in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

Workplace Depression Screening, Outreach and Enhanced Treatment Improves Productivity, Lowers Employer Costs

Press Release • September 26, 2007

Enhanced and systematic efforts to identify and treat depression in the workplace significantly improves employee health and productivity, likely leading to lower costs overall for the employer, according to a study published September 26, 2007, in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

Global Survey Reveals Significant Gap in Meeting World's Mental Health Care Needs

Press Release • September 06, 2007

Mental disorders rank among the top ten illnesses causing disability—more than 37 percent worldwide—with depression being the leading cause of disability among people ages 15 and older, according to the Global Burden of Disease and Risk Factors published in 2006.

New Research to Help Youth with Mental Disorders Transition to Adulthood

Science Update • September 05, 2007

As young people with mental health disorders transition from adolescence to adulthood, they frequently face new and difficult challenges such as the loss of state-issued benefits like Medicaid and foster care, or loss of family-based insurance coverage.

New Research to Study Program that Improves Police Interactions with Mentally Ill

Science Update • July 12, 2007

A new grant funded by NIMH will examine the effectiveness and utility of a program designed to improve police interactions with people who have mental disorders

New Study Will Examine Effects of Excluding Anti-anxiety Medications in Medicare Part D Coverage

Science Update • June 22, 2007

A new research grant funded by NIMH will examine the costs and benefits of excluding a commonly prescribed class of anti-anxiety medications—benzodiazepines—from coverage in the new Medicare Part D program. Medicare Part D, the prescription drug coverage plan for people insured by Medicare, went into effect in January 2006.

U.S.-born Children of Immigrants May Have Higher Risk for Mental Disorders Than Parents

Science Update • January 17, 2007

In the first studies to examine the effects of immigration and years of residence on the mental health of Caribbean Black, Latino, and Asian populations in the United States, NIMH-funded researchers found that immigrants in general appear to have lower rates of mental disorders than their U.S.-born counterparts.

Mental Illness Exacts Heavy Toll, Beginning in Youth

Press Release • June 06, 2005

Researchers supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) have found that half of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14, and that despite effective treatments, there are long delays — sometimes decades — between first onset of symptoms and when people seek and receive treatment.

“Care Managers” Help Depressed Elderly Reduce Suicidal Thoughts

Press Release • March 02, 2004

An intervention that includes staffing doctors’ offices with depression care managers helps depressed elderly patients reduce suicidal thoughts, a study funded by NIH’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has found.

New Program Treats Rural Youth And Targets Barriers To Care

Press Release • July 29, 2003

Adolescents and teens with emotional and behavioral problems will receive treatment as part of a new study in eight of the poorest Appalachian counties in Eastern Tennessee.