Chlamydia and Gonorrhea Testing Patterns Among Women with and Without Serious Mental Illness.

Rates of the sexually transmitted infections (STIs) Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) have risen in women by 13% and 40%, respectively, since 2015. Women with Serious Mental Illness (SMI) are at disproportionate risk for STIs. A retrospective chart review was performed at a safety-net healthcare system in the Southeastern United States (US) from 2014 to 2017.

Trends in Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment Utilization and Setting From 2008 to 2017.

Objective: Little is known about recent trends in treatment for alcohol use disorder. The authors used national data to examine treatment trends among individuals with alcohol use disorder.

Methods: A sample of nonelderly adults (ages 18-64 years, N=36,707) with alcohol use disorder was identified from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

Association of prescription drug monitoring program laws with bedridden and missed work days.

Objective: To examine the relationship between optional and must-use prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) and markers of disability.

Data Sources: Nationwide data from the National Health Interview Survey for 2006-2015.

Study Design: Generalized difference-in-difference models with state-specific time trends were used to assess the relationship between PDMPs and two outcomes: missed days of work and bedridden days.

Transgender-Competent Health Care: Lessons from the Community.

Objectives: Transgender (trans) individuals experience high discrimination levels when accessing medical and mental health care, resulting in poorer health outcomes compared with the general population and other minority populations. A community-based research design was used to elicit direct input from the trans community about critical trans-knowledgeable care components to address these disparities. The data collection included several focus groups with individuals recruited from the trans community.

Effects of extreme weather events on child mood and behavior.

Extreme weather events (EWEs) are increasing in frequency and severity as the planet continues to become warmer. Resulting disasters have the potential to wreak havoc on the economy, infrastructure, family unit, and human health. Global estimates project that children will be disproportionately impacted by the changing climate - shouldering 88% of the related burdens.

Navigating a Complex Health System: the Perceptions of Psychiatric Residents in Addressing Sexual and Reproductive Health of Women with Severe Mental Illness.

Objective: This study's purpose was to examine attitudes and perceptions of resident psychiatrists regarding the sexual and reproductive health needs of their female patients with severe mental illness. The three aims were to investigate resident psychiatrists' (1) perceptions regarding the importance of providing sexual and reproductive health services to female patients in the outpatient behavioral health setting, (2) current engagement in providing sexual and reproductive health services to their female patients, and (3) perceived barriers and facilitators to addressing sexual and reproductive health in this vulnerable patient population.

Methods: Fifteen resident psychiatrists were recruited from the behavioral health clinic at a safety-net public sector hospital for a structured interview.

Racial and socioeconomic disparities in adherence to preventive health services for ovarian cancer survivors.

Purpose: To examine ovarian cancer survivors' adherence to evidence-based guidelines for preventive health care.

Methods: A case-control, retrospective study of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries diagnosed with stage I, II, or III epithelial ovarian cancer from 2001 to 2010 using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare database. Survivors were matched 1:1 to non-cancer controls from the 5% Medicare Beneficiary file on age, race, state of residence, and follow-up time.

Peer-Led Self-Management of General Medical Conditions for Patients With Serious Mental Illnesses: A Randomized Trial.

Objective: Individuals with serious mental illnesses have high rates of general medical comorbidity and challenges in managing these conditions. A growing workforce of certified peer specialists is available to help these individuals more effectively manage their health and health care. However, few studies have examined the effectiveness of peer-led programs for self-management of general medical conditions for this population.

Randomized Trial of an Integrated Behavioral Health Home: The Health Outcomes Management and Evaluation (HOME) Study.

Objective: Behavioral health homes provide primary care health services to patients with serious mental illness treated in community mental health settings. The objective of this study was to compare quality and outcomes of care between an integrated behavioral health home and usual care.

Method: The study was a randomized trial of a behavioral health home developed as a partnership between a community mental health center and a Federally Qualified Health Center.

Using electronic health records to improve the physical healthcare of people with serious mental illnesses: a view from the front lines.

Individuals with serious mental illnesses (SMI) treated in the public mental health sector die decades younger than the general population. Poor quality and fragmentation of care are risk factors underlying the poor health of this population. Integrated electronic health records (EHR) can play a vital role in efforts to improve quality and outcomes of care in patients with SMI.

Randomized trial of an electronic personal health record for patients with serious mental illnesses.

Objective: The authors evaluated the effect of an electronic personal health record on the quality of medical care in a community mental health setting.

Method: A total of 170 individuals with a serious mental disorder and a comorbid medical condition treated in a community mental health center were randomly assigned to either a personal health record or usual care. One-year outcomes assessed quality of medical care, patient activation, service use, and health-related quality of life.

A qualitative study examining the perceived barriers and facilitators to medical healthcare services among women with a serious mental illness.

Objective: This qualitative study investigates the barriers and facilitators to accessing and utilizing healthcare services among women with a serious mental illness (SMI).

Methods: A purposive sample of 30 poor, urban, predominantly African-American women with a diagnosis of an SMI was recruited. Interviews were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim.

Budget impact and sustainability of medical care management for persons with serious mental illnesses.

Objective: The authors assessed the 2-year outcomes, costs, and financial sustainability of a medical care management intervention for community mental health settings.

Method: A total of 407 psychiatric outpatients with serious mental illnesses were randomly assigned to usual care or to a medical care manager who provided care coordination and education. Two-year follow-up chart reviews and interviews assessed quality and outcomes of care, as well as costs from both the health system and managerial perspectives.

A day in the life of women with a serious mental illness: a qualitative investigation.

Purpose: Few studies have taken a holistic perspective to the lives of women with a serious mental illness (SMI). This qualitative study of women with an SMI describes and interprets women's experiences and provides a new understanding about the nature and needs of these women.

Methods: A convenience sample of 30 poor, urban, predominantly African-American women with a diagnosis of an SMI was recruited from an ongoing National Institutes of Mental Health study.

The Health and Recovery Peer (HARP) Program: a peer-led intervention to improve medical self-management for persons with serious mental illness.

Objectives: Persons with serious mental illnesses (SMI) have elevated rates of comorbid medical conditions, but may also face challenges in effectively managing those conditions.

Methods: The study team developed and pilot-tested the Health and Recovery Program (HARP), an adaptation of the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) for mental health consumers. A manualized, six-session intervention, delivered by mental health peer leaders, helps participants become more effective managers of their chronic illnesses.

Integrating wellness, recovery, and self-management for mental health consumers.

Three distinct, yet interrelated, terms-wellness, recovery, and self-management-have received increasing attention in the research, consumer, and provider communities. This article traces the origins of these terms, seeking to understand how they apply, individually and in conjunction with one another to mental health consumers. Each shares a common perspective that is health-centered rather than disease-centered and that emphasizes the role of consumers as opposed to professional providers as the central determinants of health and well-being.

A randomized trial of medical care management for community mental health settings: the Primary Care Access, Referral, and Evaluation (PCARE) study.

Objective: Poor quality of healthcare contributes to impaired health and excess mortality in individuals with severe mental disorders. The authors tested a population-based medical care management intervention designed to improve primary medical care in community mental health settings.

Method: A total of 407 subjects with severe mental illness at an urban community mental health center were randomly assigned to either the medical care management intervention or usual care.

Viral vector-mediated overexpression of estrogen receptor-alpha in striatum enhances the estradiol-induced motor activity in female rats and estradiol-modulated GABA release.

Classical estrogen receptor-signaling mechanisms involve estradiol binding to intracellular nuclear receptors [estrogen receptor-alpha (ERalpha) and estrogen receptor-beta (ERbeta)] to promote changes in protein expression. Estradiol can also exert effects within seconds to minutes, however, a timescale incongruent with genomic signaling. In the brain, estradiol rapidly potentiates stimulated dopamine release in the striatum of female rats and enhances spontaneous rotational behavior.

Improving general medical care for persons with mental and addictive disorders: systematic review.

Objective: To conduct a systematic review of studies of interventions designed to improve general medical care in persons with mental and addictive disorders.

Methods: Following Cochrane Collaboration guidelines, a comprehensive search through October 2005 was conducted in multiple bibliometric indexes using search terms related to primary medical care and mental health/addictive disorders. Two assessors independently extracted information on linkage, quality, outcomes and costs of care.

A survey of mental health leaders one year after the President's New Freedom Commission report.

As part of the 19th annual Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy, held in 2003, an anonymous online survey of symposium participants was conducted to gain insight into participants' perceptions of the impact on their organizations of the President's New Freedom Commission and its recommendations. The participants were national mental health leaders representing a broad range of mental health agencies and organizations. The results of the survey suggest that the New Freedom Commission has had a substantial impact on the organizations represented at the symposium.