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Clinical Preventive Services in Substance Abuse and Mental Health Update: From Science to Services

NCJ Number
211458
Author(s)
Joel L. Nitzkin M.D.; Shelagh A. Smith M.P.H
Date Published
June 2004
Length
188 pages
Annotation
Prepared for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration, this report explores the need for and value of preventive services for mental health and substance use disorders in health care settings.
Abstract
The connection between the health of the mind and the body is generally accepted, with a wealth of literature documenting that individuals with conditions such as cancer, heart disease, and other illnesses improve and survive longer when mental disorders, such as depression are prevented or treated. This report summarizes the most promising preventive interventions of a behavioral nature intended to impact mental and substance use disorders, or is some cases, medical outcomes. This review focuses on prevention interventions that are primarily delivered by health care systems. Interventions provided in schools, worksites, communities, and criminal justice systems were excluded, as well as population-based interventions. The report summarizes the literature on preventive behavioral services to be delivered by health care systems to improve both medical and mental health outcomes. Some of the interventions covered demonstrate potential to reduce health care costs within 12 months of program implementation, thus providing a “return on investment” in terms of short-term health care costs. The report updates a previous Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration literature review published in 2000. The chapters in the report begin by providing details about methodology and outcomes of the literature searches, an overview of interventions, discussion of specific interventions based on age and life-cycle groups, summaries of all proposed interventions for each life-cycle group, single intervention, psycho-education for specific adult patients, and overall conclusions of the report. References and appendixes A-D