Mental Health – Evidence Based Practices

New Publication
Practice Guidelines: Core Elements in Responding to Mental Health Crises

cmhs_practiceguidelines

Individuals experiencing mental health crises may encounter an array of professionals and nonprofessionals trying to intervene and help: family members, peers, health care personnel, police, advocates, clergy, educators, and others. Their approaches in assisting those in crises often vary widely, contributing to the potential for ineffectual responses.
Developed by a diverse expert panel that included individuals with mental illnesses, providers, public officials, and advocates, the guidelines presented here define appropriate responses to mental health crises across various situations and environments.

For more information click here.

Department of Veterans Affairs:  Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD): http://www.healthquality.va.gov/Post_Traumatic_Stress_Disorder_PTSD.asp

Screening:

Treatment:

Information on PTSD:

  • VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Post-Traumatic Stress:  http://www.healthquality.va.gov/ptsd/ptsd_full.pdf.
  • Substance abuse and mental health providers are directed to http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/ncmain/providers/ for more information on post-traumatic stress disorder.
  • In March 2002, the Veterans Health Initiative of the Department of Veterans Affairs released the independent study course, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder:  Implications for Primary Care:  http://www1.va.gov/vhi/docs/posttraumatic_www.pdf.
  • In January 2004, the Veterans Health Initiative of the Department of Veterans Affairs released the independent study course, Military Sexual Trauma:  http://www1.va.gov/vhi/docs/MST_www.pdf.
  • In June 2004, the National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and the Department of Defense published the second edition of the Iraq War Clinician Guide.  http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/ncmain/ncdocs/manuals/nc_manual_iwcguide.html.
  • The National Center for PTSD houses the PILOTS Database: http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/ncmain/publications/pilots/index.html. The PILOTS database is an electronic index to the worldwide literature on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental-health consequences of exposure to traumatic events. It is produced by the National Center for PTSD, and is available to the public on computer systems maintained by Dartmouth College. There is no charge for using the database, and no account or password is required.
  • At the request of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Institute of Medicine reviewed the PTSD literature to determine the efficacy of pharmacotherapies and psychotherapies in the treatment of PTSD.  Of the therapies reviewed, only exposure therapy was considered to be efficacious.  To download a copy of the 2008 report, Treatment of PTSD:  An Assessment of the Evidence, published by the National Academies Press, go to http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11955.
  • Resources for Veterans with Brain Injury and Post Traumatic Stress, Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program, National Technical Assistance Center at Virginia Commonwealth University:  http://www.hvrp.org/resources/content.cfm/716

Information on Mental Health:

  • Mental health services of the Department of Veterans Affairs:  http://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/
  • The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) has developed a comprehensive approach for supporting military members and their families called BATTLEMIND (http://www.behavioralhealth.army.mil/battlemind/index.html).  The Army recognizes that mental health problems are some of the most common and disabling conditions that affect military service members, particularly service members who have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.  The efforts by WRAIR involve delivery of a series of products and solutions to prevent mental health problems, improve resiliency, and mitigate the effects of deployment and combat stressors.
  • National Center on PTSD:  recommended reading list for mental health care providers  http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/ncmain/providers/mhcp_reading.jsp


Information on Suicide Prevention:

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA) Resources:

  • The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA) provides resources for returning veterans and their families:  http://www.samhsa.gov/vets/
  • SAMHSA offers five implementation resource kits in mental health—assertive community teams (ACT), family psycho-education, illness management and recovery (IMR), integrated dual disorder treatment (IDDT), and supported employment (http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/cmhs/communitysupport/toolkits/default.asp).
  • SAMHSA houses the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (http://www.nrepp.samhsa.gov/).  NREPP is a searchable database of interventions for the prevention and treatment of mental illness and substance use disorders. SAMHSA has developed this resource to help people, agencies, and organizations implement programs and practices in their communities.

Centers on Evidence-based Practices:

  • The Department of Veterans Affairs also has a Center of Excellence on Implementing Evidence-Based Practices (www.ciebp.research.va.gov).  While this site did not list EBPs per se, it did list current research studies that they are currently contracting, including the following:
    • Illness Management and Recovery for Veterans with Severe Mental Illness
  • Veterans Evidence-Based Research Dissemination Implementation Center (VERDICT)
    VERDICT’s mission is to foster a knowledge-based health care system in which clinical, managerial, and policy decisions are based upon sound information from research findings. The multidisciplinary team addresses systematic implementation of evidence in clinical practice within the Veterans Health Administration, leading to integrated models of care and improved service, quality and efficiency. The primary academic affiliate is the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.  UT Health Science Center investigators were recently awarded a $25 million grant from the Department of Defense (DoD) to lead a research consortium “STRONG STAR” in which VERDICT is participating to study post-traumatic stress disorder among veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. San Antonio is also home to the San Antonio Military Medical Center (formed from Brooke Army Medical Center and Wilford Hall Medical Center) and the United States Army Institute of Surgical Research, which respectively serve as one of the major trauma centers and the only burn center for all military personnel worldwide.  http://www.verdict.research.va.gov/.

Department of Veterans Affairs

The Office of Quality and Performance, Department of Veterans Affairs, issues clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) in a variety of health and behavioral health topics, including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and substance use disorders (http://www.healthquality.va.gov/).  This Office also recommends specific practices.

Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Centers (MIRECC):  http://www.mirecc.va.gov/index.asp
Established by Congress, MIRECCs conduct research into the causes and treatments of mental disorders and uses education to put new knowledge into routine clinical practice in the VA.  Their website lists manuals and clinical workbooks for clinicians.

VA Polytrauma System of Care:  http://www.polytrauma.va.gov

Department of Veterans Affairs Pocket Guides: