Association between mental health disorders, problem drug use, and regular prescription opioid use

BACKGROUND

Use of opioids for chronic noncancer pain is increasing, but standards of care for this practice are poorly defined. Psychiatric disorders are associated with increased physical symptoms such as pain and may be associated with opioid use, but no prospective population-based studies have addressed this issue.

METHODS

Analysis of longitudinal data from 6439 participants in the 1998 and 2001 waves of Healthcare for Communities, a nationally representative telephone community survey.

RESULTS

Two hundred thirty-seven subjects (3.6%) reported regular prescription opioid use in 2001. In unadjusted logistic regression models, respondents with a common mental health disorder in 1998 (1165 [12.6%]; major depression, dysthymia, generalized anxiety disorder, or panic disorder) were more likely to report opioid use in 2001 than those without any of these disorders (odds ratio [OR], 4.43; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.64-5.38; P<.001). Risk was increased for initiation (OR, 3.26; 95% CI, 2.44-4.34; P<.001) and continuation (OR, 2.30; 95% CI, 1.02-5.17; P = .04) of opioids. Respondents reporting problem drug use (136 [2.0%]; OR, 3.57; 95% CI, 2.32-5.50; P<.001) but not problem alcohol use (401 [6.5%]; OR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.43-1.24; P = .25) reported higher rates of prescribed opioid use than those without problem use. In multivariate logistic regression models controlling for 1998 demographic and clinical variables, common mental health disorder (OR, 1.96; 95% CI, 1.47-2.62; P<.001) and problem drug use (OR, 2.98; 95% CI, 1.68-5.30; P<.001) remained significant predictors of opioid use in 2001.

CONCLUSIONS

Common mental health disorders and problem drug use are associated with initiation and use of prescribed opioids in the general population. Attention to psychiatric disorders is important when considering opioid therapy.

Implementing the Institute of Medicine definition of disparities: an application to mental health care

OBJECTIVE

In a recent report, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) defines a health service disparity between population groups to be the difference in treatment or access not justified by the differences in health status or preferences of the groups. This paper proposes an implementation of this definition, and applies it to disparities in outpatient mental health care.

DATA SOURCES

Health Care for Communities (HCC) reinterviewed 9,585 respondents from the Community Tracking Study in 1997-1998, oversampling individuals with psychological distress, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, or mental health treatment. The HCC is designed to make national estimates of service use.

STUDY DESIGN

Expenditures are modeled using generalized linear models with a log link for quantity and a probit model for any utilization. We adjust for group differences in health status by transforming the entire distribution of health status for minority populations to approximate the white distribution. We compare disparities according to the IOM definition to other methods commonly used to assess health services disparities.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

Our method finds significant service disparities between whites and both blacks and Latinos. Estimated disparities from this method exceed those for competing approaches, because of the inclusion of effects of mediating factors (such as income) in the IOM approach.

CONCLUSIONS

A rigorous definition of disparities is needed to monitor progress against disparities and to compare their magnitude across studies. With such a definition, disparities can be estimated by adjusting for group differences in models for expenditures and access to mental health services.

Mental health care for adults with suicide ideation

OBJECTIVE

To estimate mental health and substance abuse services use for adults with and without suicide ideation.

METHOD

2000-2001 follow-up of respondents to a nationally representative survey. Measures include self-reports of suicide ideation, specialty and primary care mental health services use, past year counseling, psychotropic medications and perceived need.

RESULTS

The percentage of respondents who reported suicide ideation was 3.6%; 74% of them had a probable psychiatric disorder for which effective treatments exist. Nearly half of those with suicide ideation did not perceive a need for care, including some who received care. Of those with suicide ideation and a probable disorder, almost 40% received no treatment. Of those with suicide ideation who perceived a need for alcohol, drug or mental health (ADM) care, almost 40% received no care or inadequate care. In a multivariate model, having a probable psychiatric disorder, perceived need and being white were associated with increased likelihood of treatment use, among persons with suicide ideation.

CONCLUSIONS

Many adults with suicide ideation do not perceive a need for care or receive treatment in the same year. Even among those perceiving a need for care, many experience difficulties in obtaining it. It is critical to understand barriers to treatments for this high-risk group.

Changing profiles of service sectors used for mental health care in the United States

OBJECTIVE

Redesigning the fragmented U.S. mental health care system requires knowing how service sectors share responsibility for individuals' mental health needs.

METHOD

Twelve-month DSM-IV mental disorders and their severity were assessed in respondents ages 15-54 from the National Comorbidity Survey (NCS) in 1990-1992 (N=5,388) and the NCS Replication in 2001-2003 (N=4,319). Six profiles involving potentially multiple service sectors were defined, including those in which pharmacotherapy plus psychotherapy (psychiatry profile, general medical with other mental health specialty profile), single modalities (general medical only profile, other mental health specialty only profile), or neither modality (human services only profile, complementary/alternative medicine only profile) could potentially have been received. The use of profiles was compared between surveys.

RESULTS

The general medical only profile experienced the largest proportional increase (153%) between surveys and is now the most common profile. The psychiatry profile also increased (29%), as did the general medical with other mental health specialty profile (72%). The other mental health specialty only (-73%), the complementary/alternative medicine only (-132%), and the human services only (-137%) profiles all decreased in use. The elderly, women, minorities, the less educated, and rural dwellers were less likely to use profiles capable of delivering pharmacotherapies and/or psychotherapies.

CONCLUSIONS

How service sectors share responsibility for peoples' mental health care is changing, with more care falling to general medical providers rather than specialists. Efforts are required to ensure that people who would benefit have access to the necessary treatment modalities.

What Is Necessary To Transform The Quality Of Mental Health Care

Improving the quality of care is a national priority in the United States; however, it is not clear how to accelerate progress for mental health care. We recommend advances in three capacities: (1) developing quality improvement resources applicable to a diverse set of mental health disorders, clients, and service settings; (2) improving the infrastructure for providing evidence-based psychotherapy and psychosocial interventions; and (3) promoting innovation in financial incentives for quality improvement in mental health care. We also discuss the need to develop leadership among health care stakeholders and community engagement to promote public commitment to high-quality care in mental health.

Adolescent Primary Care Patients’ Preferences for Depression Treatment

Despite efficacious treatments for depression in youth, current data indicate low rates of care. To better understand reasons for these low rates of care, we examined treatment preferences for depression treatment. Adolescents (N=444) who screened positive for depression at a primary care visit completed measures of predisposing, enabling, and need characteristics thought to be related to help seeking. Results indicated a strong tendency for adolescents to prefer active treatment (72%) versus watchful waiting (28%), and for youth to prefer counseling (50%) versus medication (22%). Female gender, prior treatment experience, and current depression and anxiety were related to preference for active treatment over watchful waiting. In multivariable analyses, female gender and current anxiety symptoms remained significant predictors of preference for active treatment. Ethnicity, attitudes about depression care, prior treatment experience, and anxiety symptoms were related to preference for medication over counseling. In multivariable analyses, those with negative attitudes about depression treatment generally, with positive attitudes about treatment via medication, or with current anxiety symptoms were more likely to prefer medication. Youth preference for counseling over medication may contribute to low adherence to medication treatment and underscores the importance of patient education aimed at promoting positive expectations for treatments.

Talking Wellness: a description of a community-academic partnered project to engage an African-American community around depression through the use of poetry, film, and photography

The design, implementation, and preliminary evaluation of an enhanced community-engagement program that uses poetry, film, and photography at a film festival in south Los Angeles is described. This project is one of several Talking Wellness projects designed to develop social capital and enhance community engagement in projects designed to improve the community's capacity to communicate effectively about depression, to decrease the associated stigma, and to participate in the design and evaluation of research interventions. The high degree of collaboration in the development and evaluation of this community participatory research model is illustrated by describing the selection and design of the intervention and the development of the survey questionnaires used for data collection. The project is described from the perspective of community members involved in the process.

Improving care for depression in patients with comorbid substance misuse

OBJECTIVE

The authors investigated whether quality improvement programs for depression would be effective among substance misusers and whether there would be a differential program-by-comorbidity effect.

METHOD

A group-level randomized controlled trial (Partners in Care) compared two quality improvement programs for depression with usual care. Consecutive patients (N=27,332) from six managed care organizations in five states were screened, and 1,356 were enrolled: 443 received usual care while the rest entered a quality improvement program involving either medication (N=424) or therapy (N=489). Multiple logistic regression was used to test hypotheses and compute standardized predictions of the adjusted rates of depression and use of psychotherapy and antidepressants.

RESULTS

Under usual care conditions, depressed patients with substance misuse had an increased probability of ongoing depression despite higher rates of overall appropriate treatment. Among clients with comorbid substance misuse, the quality improvement programs were associated with improved depression outcomes at 12 months and increased antidepressant use at 6 months. Among clients with no substance misuse, the quality improvement programs improved depression outcomes at 6 months and were associated with increased treatment utilization.

CONCLUSIONS

Co-occurring substance misuse is associated with depression and with increased risk for poorer depression treatment outcomes under usual care conditions. Quality improvement programs can significantly reduce the likelihood of probable depressive disorders in depressed patients with and without comorbid substance misuse. No consistent evidence was found for a differential program-by-comorbidity effect except for a suggestion of greater increase in psychotherapy among individuals with no substance misuse.

A community participatory research partnership: the development of a faith-based intervention for children exposed to violence

When an inner city Latino immigrant faith community in Los Angeles identified mental health care as an area of need, a community-research partnership was formed that resulted in the adaptation of an intervention for children who have trauma-related symptoms from violence exposure. This participatory research partnership includes St. Thomas the Apostle School and Church community; QueensCare Health and Faith Partnership, an organization that provides health services and outreach to faith communities; and mental health researchers from UCLA. During the planning phase of this project, parent focus groups were conducted, and an evidence-based intervention for traumatized students was adapted for this community. Focus group participants described significant concerns about community violence and multiple ways in which this ongoing violence has affected their children's functioning and child-parent relationships. The partnership has collaborated on each aspect of the research study, from design and adaptation, implementation, data analyses, and identification of areas for future research. This paper, a participatory process written in the words of the community and research partners, describes the experience of and challenges met by this partnership in adapting the Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools program for use in this Catholic school.

Building an academic-community partnered network for clinical services research: the Community Health Improvement Collaborative (CHIC)

OBJECTIVE

Community-based participatory research is recommended for research on health disparities and to improve uptake of clinical research findings. We describe the development of a multicenter consortium designed to support a community agency-academic partner infrastructure to support community-based, health-services research on multiple sources of health and healthcare disparities in local communities.

DESIGN

We describe the development of the Los Angeles Community Health Improvement Collaborative (CHIC).

RESULTS

The CHIC partners examined the research capacity and health priorities of its partners and developed a research agenda focused on four tracer conditions (depression, violence, diabetes, and obesity) and four areas for development of research capacity: public participation in all phases of research; understanding community and organizational context for clinical services interventions; practical clinical services trial methods; and advancing health information technology for clinical services research. The partners pooled resources to develop these areas for the tracer conditions.

CONCLUSIONS

The challenges of a participatory approach to community-based clinical services research go beyond the significant methodologic and operational issues for specific projects and include building a sustainable capacity for research, community programs, and partnership across diverse communities and stakeholder organizations even when funding sources are not fully aligned with these goals.

The Building Wellness project: a case history of partnership, power sharing, and compromise

INTRODUCTION

The Institute of Medicine has recommended development of community-focused strategies to alleviate the disproportionate burden of illness on minorities, including depression. So far, limited data exist on the process of developing such partnerships within diverse racial/ethnic environments as they strive to develop community-driven, evidence-based action plans to improve the quality of outreach services. We describe such an effort around depression in south Los Angeles and explore the issues of the process in the hopes of informing future partnership development.

METHODS

Community meetings, presentations, feedback, discussion groups, and consensus-based action items were implemented over an 18-month period. A writing subcommittee was designated to develop a description of the group's work and process, as well as the diverse perspectives in the partnership. Data sources included meeting minutes, materials for members and community feedback presentations, scribe notes, and the reflections of the authors.

RESULTS

Development was seen on the formal group level, in the process, and on the realization of three categories of action plans. Designed to assist social service caseworkers in the recognition of and referral for depression, the action plans included developing a website, a tool kit (modified Delphi process), and a one-page depression "fact sheet" with region-specific referrals.

CONCLUSION

Through the process of developing a means to combat depression in a racially/ ethnically diverse population, the community is not only better informed about depression but has become a true partner with the academic element in adapting these programs for local service providers, resulting in improved understanding of the partnership process.

Witness for Wellness: preliminary findings from a community-academic participatory research mental health initiative

Quality improvement programs promoting depression screening and appropriate treatment can significantly reduce racial and ethnic disparities in mental-health care and outcomes. However, promoting the adoption of quality-improvement strategies requires more than the simple knowledge of their potential benefits. To better understand depression issues in racial and ethnic minority communities and to discover, refine, and promote the adoption of evidence-based interventions in these communities, a collaborative academic-community participatory partnership was developed and introduced through a community-based depression conference. This partnership was based on the community-influenced model used by Healthy African-American Families, a community-based agency in south Los Angeles, and the Partners in Care model developed at the UCLA/RAND NIMH Health Services Research Center. The integrated model is described in this paper as well as the activities and preliminary results based on multimethod program evaluation techniques. We found that combining the two models was feasible. Significant improvements in depression identification, knowledge about treatment options, and availability of treatment providers were observed among conference participants. In addition, the conference reinforced in the participants the importance of community mobilization for addressing depression and mental health issues in the community. Although the project is relatively new and ongoing, already substantial gains in community activities in the area of depression have been observed. In addition, new applications of this integrated model are underway in the areas of diabetes and substance abuse. Continued monitoring of this project should help refine the model as well as assist in the identification of process and outcome measures for such efforts.

Longitudinal patterns of alcohol, drug, and mental health need and care in a national sample of U.S. adults

OBJECTIVE

Use of longitudinal data can help clarify the extent of persistent need for services or persistent problems in gaining access to services. This study examined the level of transient and persistent need and unmet need over time among respondents to a national survey and whether need was met by provision of mental health services or resolved without treatment.

METHODS

Data from the longitudinal Health Care for Communities (HCC) household telephone survey were used to produce joint distributions of need status and care for two periods (wave 1 data collected in 1997 to 1998 and wave 2 data collected in 2000 to 2001; N=6,659). Perceived need was measured as self-report of need for help with a mental or substance use problem. Probable clinical need was assessed with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, and the 12-item Short Form Health Survey.

RESULTS

High levels of persistent unmet need for care (44 to 52 percent) were found among respondents who had probable clinical need in wave 1. Although a majority of those with need received some care, an equal proportion (about 30 percent) of those with perceived need only or probable clinical need in wave 1 did not receive any care. A substantial portion of need (22 to 26 percent) appears to have resolved without treatment, which may suggest high levels of transient need.

CONCLUSIONS

Persistent patterns of unmet need represent important targets for policy and programs that can improve utilization, including outreach, education, and improved insurance coverage.

Depression and role impairment among adolescents in primary care clinics

PURPOSE

To evaluate the association between depression and role impairment in a primary care sample, with and without controlling for the effects of general medical conditions.

METHODS

Cross-sectional survey of consecutive primary care patients, ages 13-21 years (n = 3471), drawn from six sites including public health, managed care, and academic health center clinics. We assessed probable depressive disorder, depressive symptoms, and common medical problems using youth self-report on a brief screening questionnaire. Main outcome measures were two indicators of role impairment: (a) decrement in productivity/role activity, defined as not in school or working full time; and (b) low educational attainment, defined as more than 2 years behind in school or > or = 20 years of age and failed to complete high school.

RESULTS

Adolescents screening positive for probable depressive disorder had elevated rates of productivity/role activity decrements (19% vs. 13%; OR 1.69; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.39-2.06; p < 0.001) and low educational attainment (20% vs. 15%; OR 1.47; 95% CI 1.21-1.78; p < 0.001). Probable depressive disorder made a unique contribution to the prediction of these impairment indicators after adjusting for the effect of having a general medical condition; controlling for depression, the presence of a general medical condition did not contribute to role impairment.

CONCLUSIONS

Adolescent primary care patients screening positive for depression are at increased risk for impairment in school/work productivity and educational attainment. These findings emphasize the importance of primary care clinicians' attention to depression and role limitations.

Disparities in depression treatment for Latinos and site of care

OBJECTIVE

This study examined the impact of patient characteristics and source of care on differences between whites and Latinos in use and quality of depression treatment in managed primary care settings.

METHODS

Data were examined for 1,175 patients (398 Latinos and 777 whites) in 46 managed primary care practices who screened positive for probable depressive disorder. Patient baseline assessments were used to compile sociodemographic and clinical characteristics and to derive variables for receipt of any depression care and depression care that met minimum guidelines (antidepressant use or specialty counseling) in the past six months. Clinics were classified by the percentage of their patient population that consisted of Latinos to determine whether patients in highly Latino clinics reported lower rates of care. Predictors of use and quality of depression care were examined by using logistic regression.

RESULTS

Rates of receipt of any depression care and guideline-level depression care were low, and Latinos were less than half as likely as whites to receive such care, even after the analyses controlled for independent predictors (that is, younger age, higher educational level, current unemployment, more comorbid medical illness, and a diagnosis of a depressive or anxiety disorder). The likelihood of receiving any care or care that met guidelines did not significantly vary according to whether clinics served a low, moderate, or high percentage of Latinos.

CONCLUSIONS

Disparities in depression care for Latinos were not attributable to sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, and they were not attributable to receiving care in clinics that served ethnically similar or dissimilar clientele. These findings suggest that other patient or provider factors may be responsible.

Generalizability of studies on mental health treatment and outcomes, 1981 to 1996

OBJECTIVE

This study operationalized and measured the external validity, or generalizability, of studies on mental health treatment and outcomes published in four journals between 1981 and 1996.

METHOD

MEDLINE was searched for articles on mental health treatment and outcomes that were published in four leading psychiatry and psychology journals between 1981 and 1996. A 156-item instrument was used to assess generalizability of study findings.

RESULTS

Of more than 9,000 citations, 414 eligible studies were identified. Inclusion of community sites and patients from racial or ethnic minority groups were documented in only 12 and 25 percent of studies, respectively. Random or systematic sampling methods were rare (3 percent), and 75 percent of studies did not explicitly address sample representativeness. Studies with funding from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) were more likely than those without NIMH funding to document the inclusion of patients from minority groups (30 percent compared with 20 percent). Randomized studies were more likely than nonrandomized studies to document the inclusion of patients from minority groups (28 percent compared with 17 percent), include patients with comorbid psychiatric conditions (31 percent compared with 19 percent), and attend to sample representativeness (28 percent compared with 15 percent). Modest improvements were seen over time in inclusion of patients from minority groups, inclusion of patients with psychiatric comorbidities, and attention to sample representativeness.

CONCLUSIONS

Generalizability of studies on treatments and outcomes, whether experimental or observational, remained low and poorly documented over the 16-year period.

Prevalence and treatment of mental disorders, 1990 to 2003

BACKGROUND

Although the 1990s saw enormous change in the mental health care system in the United States, little is known about changes in the prevalence or rate of treatment of mental disorders.

METHODS

We examined trends in the prevalence and rate of treatment of mental disorders among people 18 to 54 years of age during roughly the past decade. Data from the National Comorbidity Survey (NCS) were obtained in 5388 face-to-face household interviews conducted between 1990 and 1992, and data from the NCS Replication were obtained in 4319 interviews conducted between 2001 and 2003. Anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and substance-abuse disorders that were present during the 12 months before the interview were diagnosed with the use of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV). Treatment for emotional disorders was categorized according to the sector of mental health services: psychiatry services, other mental health services, general medical services, human services, and complementary-alternative medical services.

RESULTS

The prevalence of mental disorders did not change during the decade (29.4 percent between 1990 and 1992 and 30.5 percent between 2001 and 2003, P=0.52), but the rate of treatment increased. Among patients with a disorder, 20.3 percent received treatment between 1990 and 1992 and 32.9 percent received treatment between 2001 and 2003 (P<0.001). Overall, 12.2 percent of the population 18 to 54 years of age received treatment for emotional disorders between 1990 and 1992 and 20.1 percent between 2001 and 2003 (P<0.001). Only about half those who received treatment had disorders that met diagnostic criteria for a mental disorder. Significant increases in the rate of treatment (49.0 percent between 1990 and 1992 and 49.9 percent between 2001 and 2003) were limited to the sectors of general medical services (2.59 times as high in 2001 to 2003 as in 1990 to 1992), psychiatry services (2.17 times as high), and other mental health services (1.59 times as high) and were independent of the severity of the disorder and of the sociodemographic characteristics of the respondents.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite an increase in the rate of treatment, most patients with a mental disorder did not receive treatment. Continued efforts are needed to obtain data on the effectiveness of treatment in order to increase the use of effective treatments.

Failure and delay in initial treatment contact after first onset of mental disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication

CONTEXT

An understudied crucial step in the help-seeking process is making prompt initial contact with a treatment provider after first onset of a mental disorder.

OBJECTIVE

To provide data on patterns and predictors of failure and delay in making initial treatment contact after first onset of a mental disorder in the United States from the recently completed National Comorbidity Survey Replication.

DESIGN AND SETTING

Nationally representative face-to-face household survey carried out between February 2001 and April 2003.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 9282 respondents aged 18 years and older.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Lifetime DSM-IV disorders were assessed with the World Mental Health (WMH) Survey Initiative version of the World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview (WMH-CIDI), a fully structured interview designed to be administered by trained lay interviewers. Information about age of first professional treatment contact for each lifetime DSM-IV/WMH-CIDI disorder assessed in the survey was collected and compared with age at onset of the disorder to study typical duration of delay.

RESULTS

Cumulative lifetime probability curves show that the vast majority of people with lifetime disorders eventually make treatment contact, although more so for mood (88.1%-94.2%) disorders than for anxiety (27.3%-95.3%), impulse control (33.9%-51.8%), or substance (52.7%-76.9%) disorders. Delay among those who eventually make treatment contact ranges from 6 to 8 years for mood disorders and 9 to 23 years for anxiety disorders. Failure to make initial treatment contact and delay among those who eventually make treatment contact are both associated with early age of onset, being in an older cohort, and a number of socio-demographic characteristics (male, married, poorly educated, racial/ethnic minority).

CONCLUSIONS

Failure to make prompt initial treatment contact is a pervasive aspect of unmet need for mental health care in the United States. Interventions to speed initial treatment contact are likely to reduce the burdens and hazards of untreated mental disorder.

Twelve-month use of mental health services in the United States: results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication

BACKGROUND

Dramatic changes have occurred in mental health treatments during the past decade. Data on recent treatment patterns are needed to estimate the unmet need for services.

OBJECTIVE

To provide data on patterns and predictors of 12-month mental health treatment in the United States from the recently completed National Comorbidity Survey Replication.

DESIGN AND SETTING

Nationally representative face-to-face household survey using a fully structured diagnostic interview, the World Health Organization's World Mental Health Survey Initiative version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview, carried out between February 5, 2001, and April 7, 2003.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 9282 English-speaking respondents 18 years and older.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Proportions of respondents with 12-month DSM-IV anxiety, mood, impulse control, and substance disorders who received treatment in the 12 months before the interview in any of 4 service sectors (specialty mental health, general medical, human services, and complementary and alternative medicine). Number of visits and proportion of patients who received minimally adequate treatment were also assessed.

RESULTS

Of 12-month cases, 41.1% received some treatment in the past 12 months, including 12.3% treated by a psychiatrist, 16.0% treated by a non-psychiatrist mental health specialist, 22.8% treated by a general medical provider, 8.1% treated by a human services provider, and 6.8% treated by a complementary and alternative medical provider (treatment could be received by >1 source). Overall, cases treated in the mental health specialty sector received more visits (median, 7.4) than those treated in the general medical sector (median, 1.7). More patients in specialty than general medical treatment also received treatment that exceeded a minimal threshold of adequacy (48.3% vs 12.7%). Unmet need for treatment is greatest in traditionally underserved groups, including elderly persons, racial-ethnic minorities, those with low incomes, those without insurance, and residents of rural areas.

CONCLUSIONS

Most people with mental disorders in the United States remain either untreated or poorly treated. Interventions are needed to enhance treatment initiation and quality.

Quality of publicly-funded outpatient specialty mental health care for common childhood psychiatric disorders in California

OBJECTIVE

To describe the documented adherence to quality indicators for the outpatient care of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorder, and major depression for children in public mental health clinics and to explore how adherence varies by child and clinic characteristics.

METHOD

A statewide, longitudinal cohort study of 813 children ages 6.0-16.9 years with at least 3 months of outpatient care, drawn from 4,958 patients in 62 mental health clinics in California from August 1, 1998, through May 31, 1999. The main outcome was documented adherence to quality indicators based on scientific evidence and clinical judgment, assessed by explicit medical record review.

RESULTS

Relatively high adherence was recorded for clinical assessment (78%-95%), but documented adherence to quality indicators related to service linkage, parental involvement, use of evidence-based psychosocial treatment, and patient protection were moderate to poor (74.1%-8.0%). For children prescribed psychotropic medication, 28.3% of the records documented monitoring of at least one clinically indicated vital sign or laboratory study. Documented adherence to quality indicators varied little by child demographics or clinic factors.

CONCLUSION

Efforts to improve care should be directed broadly across clinics, with documentation of safe practices, particularly for children prescribed psychotropic medication, being of highest priority.

Effectiveness of a quality improvement intervention for adolescent depression in primary care clinics: a randomized controlled trial

CONTEXT

Depression is a common condition associated with significant morbidity in adolescents. Few depressed adolescents receive effective treatment for depression in primary care settings.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effectiveness of a quality improvement intervention aimed at increasing access to evidence-based treatments for depression (particularly cognitive-behavior therapy and antidepressant medication), relative to usual care, among adolescents in primary care practices.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

Randomized controlled trial conducted between 1999 and 2003 enrolling 418 primary care patients with current depressive symptoms, aged 13 through 21 years, from 5 health care organizations purposively selected to include managed care, public sector, and academic medical center clinics in the United States.

INTERVENTION

Usual care (n = 207) or 6-month quality improvement intervention (n = 211) including expert leader teams at each site, care managers who supported primary care clinicians in evaluating and managing patients' depression, training for care managers in manualized cognitive-behavior therapy for depression, and patient and clinician choice regarding treatment modality. Participating clinicians also received education regarding depression evaluation, management, and pharmacological and psychosocial treatment.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Depressive symptoms assessed by Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D) score. Secondary outcomes were mental health-related quality of life assessed by Mental Health Summary Score (MCS-12) and satisfaction with mental health care assessed using a 5-point scale.

RESULTS

Six months after baseline assessments, intervention patients, compared with usual care patients, reported significantly fewer depressive symptoms (mean [SD] CES-D scores, 19.0 [11.9] vs 21.4 [13.1]; P = .02), higher mental health-related quality of life (mean [SD] MCS-12 scores, 44.6 [11.3] vs 42.8 [12.9]; P = .03), and greater satisfaction with mental health care (mean [SD] scores, 3.8 [0.9] vs 3.5 [1.0]; P = .004). Intervention patients also reported significantly higher rates of mental health care (32.1% vs 17.2%, P<.001) and psychotherapy or counseling (32.0% vs 21.2%, P = .007).

CONCLUSIONS

A 6-month quality improvement intervention aimed at improving access to evidence-based depression treatments through primary care was significantly more effective than usual care for depressed adolescents from diverse primary care practices. The greater uptake of counseling vs medication under the intervention reinforces the importance of practice interventions that include resources to enable evidence-based psychotherapy for depressed adolescents.

Physician conceptions of responsibility to individual patients and distributive justice in health care

PURPOSE

Physicians' values may be shifting under managed care, but there have been no empirical data to support this claim. We describe physician conceptions of responsibility to individual patients and distributive justice in health care, and explore whether these values are associated with type of managed care practice and professional satisfaction.

METHODS

We mailed a questionnaire to 500 primary care physicians from 80 out-patient clinics in 11 managed care organizations (MCOs) who were participating in 4 studies designed to improve the quality of depression care in primary care.

RESULTS

We received 414 responses (response rate 83%). Twenty-eight percent of physicians strongly agreed that their main responsibility was to the individual patient rather than to society (strong sense of responsibility to individual patients). Physicians with a strong sense of responsibility to individual patients were older (43% of physicians older than 50 years reported a strong sense of responsibility to individual patients, compared with 26% of physicians aged 36 to 50 years, and 21% of physicians younger than 35 years, P = .009) and tended to practice in network- rather than staff-model MCOs (33% of physicians in network-model MCOs reported a strong sense of responsibility to individual patients compared with 24% in staff-model MCOs, P = .077). Scores on a scale measuring egalitarian conceptions of distributive justice within the health care system were similar for physicians regardless of whether they reported a strong sense of responsibility to individual patients. When we controlled for physician and practice characteristics, physicians with a strong sense of responsibility to individual patients and physicians with higher scores on an egalitarian scale were more likely to be very satisfied overall with their practices (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.23, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11-4.49, and AOR = 1.18, 95% CI, 1.09-1.29, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Physicians with a strong sense of responsibility to individual patients are older and less likely to practice in staff-model MCOs. Stronger commitment to an egalitarian health care system and a strong sense of responsibility to individual patients are independently associated with greater practice satisfaction among physicians. The impact of these values on patient care should be a priority for future research and the subject of professional education and debate.

Clinician screening and treatment of alcohol, drug, and mental problems in primary care: results from healthcare for communities

OBJECTIVE

We sought to estimate national rates of screening and treatment of alcohol, drug, and mental (ADM) problems in primary care.

DESIGN

This was a cross-sectional survey administered from 1997 to 1998.

PARTICIPANTS

Our study included a nationally representative household probability sample of 7301 primary care patients.

MEASUREMENT

We used patient self-reports from a telephone survey to estimate rates of screening and treatment of common ADM problems, to examine the types of screening and treatment received, and to investigate adherence with treatment recommendations. Covariates included measures of ADM conditions, physical health, and sociodemographic indicators.

RESULTS

Among adult primary care patients, 38.6% (95% confidence intervals [CI] 37.2-40.0) reported clinician screening for an ADM problem. Alcohol or drug screening occurred more frequently (28.3%; 95% CI 27.0-29.6) than screening for depression and anxiety (21.2%; 95% CI 20.1-22.2). Among those screened, 30.1% (95% CI; 27.8-32.4) reported ADM treatment in primary care. Medications (16.4%; 95% CI 14.3-18.5) and counseling (18.2%; 95% CI 16.1-20.3) were the most common treatments. Rates of screening were higher among individuals with ADM disorders, the young and middle aged, and the college educated. Treatment rates were higher among individuals with ADM disorders.

CONCLUSIONS

Substantial effort is expended screening and treating common ADM problems in primary care, and these efforts are targeted towards those with ADM disorders. However, only about half of individuals with an ADM disorder report being screened, and among this group, about 60% report receiving any treatment.

Do the Effects of Quality Improvement for Depression Care Differ for Men and Women?

OBJECTIVE

We sought to examine whether a quality improvement (QI) program for depression care is effective for both men and women and whether their responses differed.

DESIGN

We instituted a group-level, randomized, controlled trial in 46 primary care practices within 6 managed care organizations. Clinics were randomized to usual care or to 1 of 2 QI programs that supported QI teams, provider training, nurse assessment and patient education, and resources to support medication management (QI-Meds) or psychotherapy (QI-Therapy).

PATIENTS

There were 1299 primary care patients who screened positive for depression and completed at least one questionnaire during the course of 24 months.

OUTCOME MEASURES

Outcomes were probable depression, mental health-related quality of life (HRQOL), work status, use of any antidepressant or psychotherapy, and probable unmet need, which was defined as having probable depression but not receiving probable appropriate care.

RESULTS

Women were more likely to receive depression care than men over time, regardless of intervention status. The effect of QI-Meds on probable unmet need was delayed for men, and the magnitude of the effect was significantly greater for men than for women; therefore, this intervention reduced differences in probable unmet need between men and women. QI reduced the likelihood of probable depression equally for men and women. QI-Therapy had a greater impact on mental HRQOL and work status for men than for women. QI-Meds improved these outcomes for women.

CONCLUSIONS

To affect both quality and outcomes of care for men and women while reducing gender differences, QI programs may need to facilitate access to both medication management and effective psychotherapy for depression.

The partners in care approach to ethics outcomes in quality improvement programs for depression

OBJECTIVE

Patient centeredness and equity are major quality goals, but little is known about how these goals are affected by efforts to improve the quality of care. The authors describe an approach to addressing these goals in a randomized trial of quality improvement for depressed primary care patients.

METHODS

For four ethics goals (autonomy, distributive justice, beneficence, and avoiding harm), the authors identify intervention features, study measures, and hypotheses implemented in Partners in Care, a randomized trial of two quality improvement interventions, relative to usual care and summarize published findings pertinent to these outcomes.

RESULTS

To implement an ethics framework, modifications were required in study design and in measures and analysis plans, particularly to address the autonomy and justice goals. Extra resources were needed for sample recruitment, for intervention and survey materials, and to fund an ethics coinvestigator. The interventions were associated with improvements in all four ethics areas. Patients who received the interventions were significantly more likely to receive the treatment they had indicated at baseline as their preferred treatment (autonomy goal). Intervention-associated benefits occurred more rapidly among sicker patients and extended to patients from ethnic minority groups, resulting in a reduction in ethnic-group disparities in health outcomes relative to usual care (distributive justice goal). The interventions were associated with improved quality of care and health outcomes (beneficence goal) and with reduced use of long-term minor tranquilizers (goal of avoiding harm).

CONCLUSION

S: It is feasible to explicitly address ethics outcomes in quality improvement programs for depression, but substantial marginal resources may be required. Nevertheless, interventions so modified can increase a practice's ability to realize ethics goals.

Characteristics, treatment patterns, and outcomes of persistent depression despite treatment in primary care

We examine the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of depressed primary care patients who receive at least minimal standards of evidence-based treatment, comparing those who remain depressed with those who recover; and their subsequent treatment patterns and other outcomes. We used observational data from a subset of 542 treated patients participating in a group-level randomized controlled trial of quality improvement interventions for depression conducted in six managed care organizations. Nonresponse to treatment was defined as having at least minimally appropriate treatment for at least two of three 6-month periods but continuing to have probable depression. Our definitions of depression and appropriate treatment are broader than those used in clinical trials, but relevant to primary care settings. Many of the factors predictive of treatment resistance in clinical trials predict nonresponse to guideline concordant care among diverse primary care, depressed patients. The main unique predictors of nonresponse to treatment include a clinical factor (suicide ideation) requiring clinician assessment and intervention, a social/economic factor (unemployment) usually not addressed by medical interventions, and medication nonadherence. Nonresponders used more adjunctive therapies and combination medications, suggesting clinicians and patients were searching for solutions. High rates of service use and poor outcomes emphasize the urgency of new research to find solutions for these patients.

Stigma and depression among primary care patients

We assessed stigma affecting employment, health insurance, and friendships in 1,187 depressed patients from 46 U.S. primary care clinics. We compared stigma associated with depression, HIV, diabetes, and hypertension. Finally, we examined the association of depression-related stigma with health services use and unmet need for mental health care during a 6-month follow-up. We found that 67% of depressed primary care patients expected depression related stigma to have a negative effect on employment, 59% on health insurance, and 24% on friendships. Stigma associated with depression was greater than for hypertension or diabetes but not HIV. Younger men reported less stigma affecting employment. Women had more employment-related stigma but this was somewhat mitigated by social support. Other factors associated with stigma included ethnicity (associated with health insurance stigma) and number of chronic medical conditions (associated with health insurance and friendship related stigma). Stigma was not associated with service use, but individuals with stigma concerns related to friendships reported greater unmet mental health care needs. In summary, stigma was common in depressed primary care patients and related to age, gender, ethnicity, social support and chronic medical conditions. The relationship between stigma and service use deserves further study in diverse settings and populations.

Does satisfaction reflect the technical quality of mental health care?

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the relationship between satisfaction and technical quality of care for common mental disorders.

DATA SOURCE

A nationally representative telephone survey of 9,585 individuals conducted in 1997-1998.

STUDY DESIGN

Using multinomial logistic regression techniques we investigated the association between a five-level measure of satisfaction with the mental health care available for personal or emotional problems and two quality indicators. The first measure, appropriate technical quality, was defined as use of either appropriate counseling or psychotropic medications during the prior year for a probable depressive or anxiety disorder. The second, active treatment, indicated whether the respondent had received treatment for a psychiatric disorder in the past year. Covariates included measures of physical and mental health and sociodemographic indicators.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

Appropriate technical quality of care was significantly associated with higher levels of satisfaction. The strength of the association was moderate.

CONCLUSIONS

Satisfaction is associated with technical quality of care. However, profiling quality of care with satisfaction will likely require large samples and case-mix adjustment, which may be more difficult for plans or provider groups to implement than measuring technical indicators. More importantly, satisfaction is not the same as technical quality, and our results suggest that at this time they cannot be made to approach each other closely enough to eliminate either.

Improving care for minorities: can quality improvement interventions improve care and outcomes for depressed minorities? Results of a randomized, controlled trial

OBJECTIVE

Ethnic minority patients often receive poorer quality care and have worse outcomes than white patients, yet practice-based approaches to reduce such disparities have not been identified. We determined whether practice-initiated quality improvement (QI) interventions for depressed primary care patients improve care across ethnic groups and reduce outcome disparities.

STUDY SETTING

The sample consists of 46 primary care practices in 6 U.S. managed care organizations; 181 clinicians; 398 Latinos, 93 African Americans, and 778 white patients with probable depressive disorder. STUDY DEIGN: Matched practices were randomized to usual care or one of two QI programs that trained local experts to educate clinicians; nurses to educate, assess, and follow-up with patients; and psychotherapists to conduct Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Patients and physicians selected treatments. Interventions featured modest accommodations for minority patients (e.g., translations, cultural training for clinicians).

DATA EXTRACTION METHODS

Multilevel logistic regression analyses assessed intervention effects within and among ethnic groups.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

At baseline, all ethnic groups Latino, African American, white) had low to moderate rates of appropriate care and the interventions significantly improved appropriate care at six months (by 8-20 percentage points) within each ethnic group, with no significant difference in response by ethnic group. The interventions significantly decreased the likelihood that Latinos and African Americans would report probable depression at months 6 and 12; the white intervention sample did not differ from controls in reported probable depression at either follow-up. While the intervention significantly improved the rate of employment for whites and not for minorities, precision was low for comparing intervention response on this outcome. It is important to note that minorities remained less likely to have appropriate care and more likely to be depressed than white patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Implementation of quality improvement interventions that have modest accommodations for minority patients can improve quality of care for whites and underserved minorities alike, while minorities may be especially likely to benefit clinically. Further research needs to clarify whether employment benefits are limited to whites and if so, whether this represents a difference in opportunities. Quality improvement programs appear to improve quality of care without increasing disparities, and may offer an approach to reduce health disparities.

Do family physicians and internists differ in knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported approaches for depression?

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this investigation was to assess the relationship of primary care specialty training with self-assessed skill, knowledge, attitudes, and behavior toward depression recognition and management.

METHOD

A baseline self-report questionnaire was administered to 184 internists and 138 family physicians participating in a multisite depression intervention study.

RESULTS

There were no marked differences in knowledge of internists and family physicians regarding depression, in attitudes about the effectiveness of specific therapies, or in barriers to providing optimum treatment for depression. However, compared to internists, family physicians rated themselves as more skilled in the management of depression. When considering management of patients with moderate to severe depression, family physicians were more likely to report that they prescribed a selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitor (relative odds (RO) = 3.51, 95 percent Confidence interval (CI) [2.19, 5.60] and to personally counsel patients (RO = 1.97, 95 percent CI [1.16, 3.38]) more than half the patients, but were less likely to refer to a specialist in mental health (RO = 0.52, 95 percent CI [0.33, 0.82]) than were internists. Additional potentially influential characteristics did not wholly account for the reported differences in practice according to specialty. Physicians of both specialties expressed considerable uncertainty in their knowledge of psychotherapy and in their evaluation of the effectiveness of other strategies for the prevention of recurrence of depression.

CONCLUSION

Strategies to improve mental health care should account for the orientation of primary care physicians to mental health issues.

Burden of illness

The burden of affective disorders includes costs and the pain and suffering of affected individuls. Burden can be perceived from social and private perspectives. Although no ideal measure of burden exists, ample evidence documents the extensive cost and other negative impacts of affective disorders. Affective disorders are associated with disruptive family relations, higher health care costs for comorbid conditions, elevated rates of suicide, and lower productivity. Reserch should focus on improving measures of burden in general and on quantifying burden from the standpoint of diverse population groups.

Research development mechanisms

Studies designed to reduce the burden of affective disorders should apply and develop theories and methods from diverse social sciences that could strengthen current interventions. A series of papers from diverse fields, such as quality engineering, behavioral economics, etc. might be a needed first step. Methodological research on design strategies such as group-level randomized trials, or instrumental variables analyses are needed. Finaly, qualitative studies to understand diverse stakeholder views are also needed. To pursue these areas, interdisciplinary training programs are needed to develop skilled researchers to study communities and community-based delivery settings. New research infrastructures are needed to support community and research collaborations, as well as supporting development of new technologies to enable diffusion of care.

Practice-based interventions

Current evidence indicates there remains a large gap in the provision of depression care, particularly in primary care. Several studies have demonstrated that interventions based on the chronic disease management model can improve patient outcomes. Challenges include designing more robust interventions that can move easily into a wide variety of primary care organizations. More research is needed to develop programs to improve outcomes for children with depression and adults with bipolar disorders.

Community-based interventions

This paper explores the potential of community-based, public health-oriented interventions as a tool for reducing the burden of affective disorders on individuals, their families, and communities. The paper reviews the use of community-based interventions with other health-related problems and describes potential applicability for affective disorders such as changing public attitudes, reducing social stigma, facilitating access, or supporting treatment adherence for populations in their community settings. An agenda for developing this field of intervention research is proposed.

Barriers to reducing burden of affective disorders

This paper summarizes 3 sets of barriers to reducing burden of affective disorders including factors that contribute to 1) the risk, course, and outcomes of affective disorders; 2) help-seeking and use of health and mental health services for affective and other mental disorders; and 3) the appropriateness of treatments used for affective disorders. On the basis of this review, the authors recommend research needed to identify modifiable barriers to reducing the burden of affective disorders and to identifying opportunities to reduce these barriers. This new research should focus on clarifying societal, family, and consumer, clinician, and system barriers to recognizing disorders, seeking and providing care, and adhering with guideline concordant care, and should include barriers that apply to both treatment and prevention services.

Policy intervention

This paper addresses market failure due to externalities, as well as information asymmetries and public policy problems that need to be solved to ensure high quality care for affective disorders. We delineate the problems in parity legislation, managed care, as well as Medicare and Medicaid that need to be addressed to reduce the burden of illness affective disorders. A research agenda is developed for formulating and implementing public policy.

Problem substance use among depressed patients in managed primary care

This study identifies characteristics associated with problem substance use among 1,187 patients with either depressive symptoms (44%) or depressive disorders (56%) in primary care clinics of six managed care organizations. Sedative misuse (reported by 14% of all patients) was associated with greater wealth, social phobia, and misuse of prescription opioids. Cannabis use (11%) was associated with younger age, male gender, single marital status, white ethnicity, less education, recurrent depression, agoraphobia, and hazardous alcohol use. Hazardous drinking (11%) was significantly associated with younger age, male gender, single marital status, and cannabis use. Greater understanding of substance use problems in primary care patients with depressive symptoms and disorders may aid efforts to more quickly identify, educate, and provide services for those in need.

The effects of primary care depression treatment on patients' clinical status and employment

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effects of depression treatment in primary care on patients' clinical status and employment, over six months.

DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING

Data are from a randomized controlled trial of quality improvement for depression that included 938 adults with depressive disorder in 46 managed primary care clinics in five states.

STUDY DESIGN

Observational analysis of the effects of evidence-based depression care over six months on health outcomes and employment. Selection into treatment is accounted for using instrumental variables techniques, with randomized assignment to the quality improvement intervention as the identifying instrument.

DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS

Patient-reported clinical status, employment, health care use, and personal characteristics; health care use and costs from claims data.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

At six months, patients with appropriate care, compared to those without it, had lower rates of depressive disorder (24 percent versus 70 percent), better mental health-related quality of life, and higher rates of employment (72 percent versus 53 percent), each p<.05.

CONCLUSIONS

Appropriate treatment for depression provided in community-based primary care substantially improves clinical and quality of life outcomes and employment.

Improving the care for depression in patients with comorbid medical illness

OBJECTIVE

The authors compared treatment and outcomes for depressed primary care patients with and without comorbid medical conditions and assessed the impact of quality improvement programs for these patients.

METHOD

The study group included 1,356 patients with major depression, dysthymia, or subthreshold depression from 46 managed primary care clinics. Clinics were randomly assigned depression treatment programs consisting of usual care for depression or one of two quality improvement programs for depression. The quality improvement programs included training experts and nurse specialists to provide education and assessment, plus access to nurse specialists for medication follow-up or access to psychotherapists. Outcomes were assessed at 6 and 12 months.

RESULTS

At 6- and 12-month follow-up, the likelihood of having a probable depressive disorder was higher, but the rates of use of antidepressant medication and specialty counseling were similar, for depressed patients with comorbid medical disorders than for depressed patients who did not have comorbid medical disorders. Among the depressed patients with comorbid medical disorders, the combined quality improvement programs resulted in greater use of antidepressant medications and psychotherapy and lower rates of probable depressive disorders at both 6- and 12-month follow-up than did the usual care depression treatment program.

CONCLUSIONS

Depressed patients with comorbid medical disorders tend to have similar rates of treatment but worse depression outcomes than depressed patients without comorbid medical illness. Quality improvement programs for depression can improve treatment rates and outcomes for depressed primary care patients with comorbid medical illness. The authors discuss the implications of these findings for clinical practice.

Overcoming barriers to reducing the burden of affective disorders

Affective disorders impose a substantial individual and societal burden. Despite availability of efficacious treatments and practice guidelines, unmet need remains high. To reduce unmet need and the burden of affective disorders, information is needed on the distribution of burden across stakeholders, on barriers to reducing burden, and on interventions that effectively reduce burden at the levels of practice, community, and policy. This article provides the report of the Working Group on Overcoming Barriers to Reducing the Burden of Affective Disorders, for the National Institute of Mental Health Strategic Plan on Mood Disorders. We review the literature, identify key gaps, and recommend new research to guide national efforts to reduce the burden of affective disorders.

Unmet need for mental health care among U.S. children: variation by ethnicity and insurance status

OBJECTIVE

Policy discussions regarding the mental health needs of children and adolescents emphasize a lack of use of mental health services among youth, but few national estimates are available. The authors use three national data sets and examine ethnic disparities in unmet need (defined as having a need for mental health evaluation but not using any services in a 1-year period) to provide such estimates.

METHOD

The authors conducted secondary data analyses in three nationally representative household surveys fielded in 1996-1998: the National Health Interview Survey, the National Survey of American Families, and the Community Tracking Survey. They determined rates of mental health service use by children and adolescents 3-17 years of age and differences by ethnicity and insurance status. Among the children defined as in need of mental health services, defined by an estimator of mental health problems (selected items from the Child Behavior Checklist), they examined the association of unmet need with ethnicity and insurance status.

RESULTS

In a 12-month period, 2%-3% of children 3-5 years old and 6%-9% of children and adolescents 6-17 years old used mental health services. Of children and adolescents 6-17 years old who were defined as needing mental health services, nearly 80% did not receive mental health care. Controlling for other factors, the authors determined that the rate of unmet need was greater among Latino than white children and among uninsured than publicly insured children.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings reveal that most children who need a mental health evaluation do not receive services and that Latinos and the uninsured have especially high rates of unmet need relative to other children. Rates of use of mental health services are extremely low among preschool children. Research clarifying the reasons for high rates of unmet need in specific groups can help inform policy and clinical programs.

Alcohol, drug abuse, and mental health care for uninsured and insured adults

OBJECTIVE

To compare adults with different insurance coverage in care for alcohol, drug abuse, and mental health (ADM) problems.

DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING

From a national telephone survey of 9,585 respondents.

DESIGN

Follow-up of adult participants in the Community Tracking Study.

DATA COLLECTION

Self-report survey of insurance plan (Medicare, Medicaid, unmanaged, fully, or partially managed private, or uninsured), ADM need, use of ADM services and treatments, and satisfaction with care in the last 12 months. PRINCIPAL METHODS: Logistic and linear regressions were used to compare persons by insurance type in ADM use.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

The likelihood of ADM care was highest under Medicaid and lowest for the uninsured and those under Medicare. Perceived unmet need was highest for the uninsured and lowest under Medicare. Persons in fully rather than partially managed private plans tend to be more likely to have ADM care and ADM treatments given need. Satisfaction with care was high in public plans and low for the uninsured.

CONCLUSIONS

The uninsured have the most problems with access to and quality of ADM care, relative to the somewhat comparable Medicaid population. Persons in fully managed plans had better rather than worse access and quality compared to partially managed plans, but findings are exploratory. Despite low ADM use, those with Medicare tend to be satisfied. Across plans, unmet need for ADM care was high, suggesting changes are needed in policy and practice.

Science discovery in clinician-economist collaboration: legacy and future challenges

BACKGROUND

2002 Carl Taube Lecture at the NIMH Mental Health Economics Meeting.

AIMS OF THE STUDY

To analyze the contribution and process of clinician/economist collaboration.

METHODS

Personal scientific autobiography, using relationships with three economists as case examples.

RESULTS

In joint efforts by clinicians and economists, clinicians bring an interest in case examples and in responding to unmet need, while economists bring structured analysis methods and respect for a societal perspective. Through mutual respect and discovery, both clinicians and economists can define unmet need in clinical and economic terms and help develop models and programs to improve clinical care, while maintaining a societal evaluation perspective. Key to scientific discovery is the principle that the emotions generated by data, such as hope and despair, need to be acknowledged and utilized rather than avoided or buried, provided that such feelings are used in a balanced manner in research. According to the author, collaboration helps maintain such a balance.

DISCUSSION

Collaboration requires and builds trust, and improves the depth of research by combining different personal and disciplinary perspectives and strengths. Young investigators should be encouraged to explore collaboration and to consider their feelings in response to health and economic data as an important scientific and creative resource.

Can utility-weighted health-related quality-of-life estimates capture health effects of quality improvement for depression?

BACKGROUND

Utility methods that are responsive to changes in desirable outcomes are needed for cost-effectiveness (CE) analyses and to help in decisions about resource allocation.

OBJECTIVES

Evaluated is the responsiveness of different methods that assign utility weights to subsets of SF-36 items to average improvements in health resulting from quality improvement (QI) interventions for depression.

DESIGN

A group level, randomized, control trial in 46 primary care clinics in six managed care organizations. Clinics were randomized to one of two QI interventions or usual care.

SUBJECTS

One thousand one hundred thirty-six patients with current depressive symptoms and either 12-month, lifetime, or no depressive disorder identified through screening 27,332 consecutive patients.

MEASURES

Utility weighted SF-12 or SF-36 measures, probable depression, and physical and mental health-related quality of life scores.

RESULTS

Several utility-weighted measures showed increases in utility values for patients in one of the interventions, relative to usual care, that paralleled the improved health effects for depression and emotional well being. However, QALY gains were small. Directly elicited utility values showed a paradoxical result of lower utility during the first year of the study for intervention patients relative to controls.

CONCLUSIONS

The results raise concerns about the use of direct single-item utility measures or utility measures derived from generic health status measures in effectiveness studies for depression. Choice of measure may lead to different conclusions about the benefit and CE of treatment. Utility measures that capture the mental health and non-health outcomes associated with treatment for depression are needed.

Effects of cost-containment strategies within managed care on continuity of the relationship between patients with depression and their primary care providers

BACKGROUND

Continuity of the relationship between patients and primary care providers (PCPs) is an important component of care from the consumer perspective that may be affected by variation in cost containment strategies within managed care.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effects of cost containment strategies on the continuity of the relationship between their patients with depression and their PCPs.

DESIGN

Observational analysis of a 2-year panel of depressed patients who participated in a quality improvement intervention trial in 46 managed care practices.

PARTICIPANTS

One thousand two hundred four patients with current depression who enrolled in a longitudinal study, completed the baseline survey, and were followed for 2 years.

MAIN MEASURES

The dependent variable is probability of continuing the relationship between patients and their PCPs; explanatory variables include individual patient mental health benefits and cost-sharing, individual provider financial incentives, supply-side managed care policies, and patient ratings of the care received.

RESULTS

The average duration of the patient-PCP relationship was significantly longer among depressed patients who initially had less generous benefits for specialty care (higher copays, P = 0.02 and fewer visits covered, P = 0.002) and for patients whose PCPs received a performance-based salary bonus from a risk pool (P = 0.07).

CONCLUSIONS

For depressed patients, cost containment strategies, such as limits on specialty benefits and presence of clinician bonus payments typically used within managed care may increase, rather than decrease, PCP continuity. Whether increased PCP continuity is a desirable outcome depends on whether health care systems can provide high quality primary care and this merits further study.

Two-year effects of quality improvement programs on medication management for depression

BACKGROUND

Significant underuse of evidence-based treatments for depression persists in primary care. We examined the effects of 2 primary care-based quality improvement (QI) programs on medication management for depression.

METHODS

A total of 1356 patients with depressive symptoms (60% with depressive disorders and 40% with subthreshold depression) from 46 primary care practices in 6 nonacademic managed care organizations were enrolled in a randomized controlled trial of QI for depression. Clinics were randomized to usual care or to 1 of 2 QI programs that involved training of local experts who worked with patients' regular primary care providers (physicians and nurse practitioners) to improve care for depression. In the QI-medications program, depression nurse specialists provided patient education and assessment and followed up patients taking antidepressants for up to 12 months. In the QI-therapy program, depression nurse specialists provided patient education, assessment, and referral to study-trained psychotherapists.

RESULTS

Participants enrolled in both QI programs had significantly higher rates of antidepressant use than those in the usual care group during the initial 6 months of the study (52% in the QI-medications group, 40% in the QI-therapy group, and 33% in the usual care group). Patients in the QI-medications group had higher rates of antidepressant use and a reduction in long-term use of minor tranquilizers for up to 2 years, compared with patients in the QI-therapy or usual care group.

CONCLUSIONS

Quality improvement programs for depression in which mental health specialists collaborate with primary care providers can substantially increase rates of antidepressant treatment. Active follow-up by a depression nurse specialist in the QI-medications program was associated with longer-term increases in antidepressant use than in the QI model without such follow-up.

The Quality Improvement for Depression collaboration: general analytic strategies for a coordinated study of quality improvement in depression care

It is difficult to evaluate the promise of primary care quality-improvement interventions for depression because published studies have evaluated diverse interventions by using different research designs in dissimilar populations. Preplanned meta-analysis provides an alternative to derive more precise and generalizable estimates of intervention effects; however, this approach requires the resolution of analytic challenges resulting from design differences that threaten internal and external validity. This paper describes the four-project Quality Improvement for Depression (QID) collaboration specifically designed for preplanned meta-analysis of intervention effects on outcomes. This paper summarizes the interventions the four projects tested, characterizes commonalities and heterogeneity in the research designs used to evaluate these interventions, and discusses the implications of this heterogeneity for preplanned meta-analysis.

Can quality improvement programs for depression in primary care address patient preferences for treatment?

BACKGROUND

Depression is common in primary care, but rates of adequate care are low. Little is known about the role of patient treatment preferences in encouraging entry into care.

OBJECTIVES

To examine whether a primary care based depression quality improvement (QI) intervention designed to accommodate patient and provider treatment choice increases the likelihood that patients enter depression treatment and receive preferred treatment.

METHODS

In 46 primary care clinics, patients with current depressive symptoms and either lifetime or current depressive disorder were identified through screening. Treatment preferences, patient characteristics, and use of depression treatments were assessed at baseline and 6 months by patient self-report. Matched clinics were randomized to usual care (UC) or 1 of 2 QI interventions. Data were analyzed using logistic regression models.

RESULTS

For patients not in care at baseline, the QI interventions increased rates of entry into depression treatment compared with usual care (adjusted percentage: 50.0% +/- 5.3 and 33.0% +/- 4.9 for interventions vs. 15.9% +/- 3.6 for usual care; F = 12.973, P <0.0001). Patients in intervention clinics were more likely to get treatments they preferred compared with those in usual care (adjusted percentage: 54.2% +/- 3.3 and 50.7% +/- 3.1 for interventions vs. 40.5% +/- 3.1 for usual care; F = 6.034, P <0.003); however, in all clinics less than half of patients preferring counseling reported receiving it.

CONCLUSIONS

QI interventions that support patient choice can improve the likelihood of patients receiving preferred treatments. Patient treatment preference appears to be related to likelihood of entering depression treatment, and patients preferring counseling may require additional interventions to enhance entry into treatment.