Drug-related mortality after discharge from treatment: A record-linkage study of substance abuse clients in Texas, 2006-2012.

Background: Patients have higher mortality immediately after substance abuse treatment discharge, but there are few data on post-discharge mortality differences across treatment modalities.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study examined individuals discharged from substance abuse treatment during 2006-2012 and probabilistically matched treatment records to death records. Logistic regression examined associations between drug-related death (DRD) and demographics; route, frequency, and classes of drugs abused; and treatment.

Relation of Mental Health to Alcohol and Substance Use Among Texas College Students.

We examined the effect of mental health problems and difficulties on alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) use among college students by using the 2013 Texas College Survey of Substance Use (n=11,216), which includes the K6 screening scale for severe mental illness (SMI). Students' K6 scores were used to classify them into 3 groups: those likely to have SMI (9% with scores ≥ 13), those with some mental health problems (36%), and those without mental health issues (55% with scores ≤ 4). Questions regarding ATOD use were analyzed using these 3 groups.

Mental Health Services in Texas Jails.

Jails and prisons in the United States have become the places where people with mental illness go. Texas jails were surveyed in 2012 to learn how they screened inmates for mental illness. Of these jails, 13% responded.

General medical care external hospitalizations for patients in Texas state mental health hospitals.

We explored the characteristics of general medical hospital admissions for patients in state mental health hospitals. Data were extracted from a statewide database of all hospital discharges for 5 years identified as general medical hospital admissions that occurred during the stay of patients at state mental health hospitals. Across the 9 mental health hospitals in the state system, rates of admission to general medical hospitals varied significantly from 0.

Association between depressed mood and perceived weight in middle and high school age students: Texas 2004-2005.

Research exploring the relationship between weight perception and depressed mood among adolescents is limited in the United States. The purpose of this study is to examine the association of perceived versus actual body weight and depressed mood in a representative sample of 8th and 11th grade public school students in Texas. Using data from the 2004-2005 School Physical Activity and Nutrition (SPAN) study, logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess the association of weight perception with depressed mood.

Shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists in Texas.

This study was conducted to determine how the current shortage of Texas child and adolescent psychiatrists (CAPs) impacts the delivery of mental health care services to indigent Texas youth. First, Texas Medical Board data detailed how many counties had CAPs and how many did not. Second, statewide Medicaid data revealed the number of prescriptions for psychotropics written for Medicaid youth by CAPs and non-CAPs.

Risk of reincarceration among prisoners with co-occurring severe mental illness and substance use disorders.

This study examined whether the presence of a comorbid substance use disorder increased the risk of criminal recidivism and reincarceration in prison inmates with a severe mental illness. Our analyses of more than 61,000 Texas prison inmates showed that those with a co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorder exhibited a substantially higher risk of multiple incarcerations over a 6-year period compared to inmates with psychiatric disorders alone or substance use disorders alone. Further research is needed to identify the factors associated with criminal recidivism among released prisoners with co-occurring disorders.

SSRI Use and Behavioral Disruption Among Children and Adolescents at Austin State Hospital.

This study examined the effect of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) on children and adolescents' disruptive behavior. Administrative data were obtained for 1 year of child and adolescent admissions at Austin State Hospital. Two measures of disruptive behavior were operationally defined as the use of mechanical restraints and emergency medication.

Weight changes in teens on psychotropic medication combinations at Austin State Hospital.

Psychiatrists commonly treat adolescents with multiple psychotropic medications simultaneously. We studied the effects of psychotropic medications on the weight of adolescent patients at Austin State Hospital between June 1997 and December 2001. The medication combinations that caused the largest weight increases were olanzapine with valproic acid, and olanzapine with venlafaxine.