Mental Health
Health care reform efforts in the United States seek to ensure appropriate access to mental health care, deliver it efficiently and effectively, and allocate scarce resources wisely. RAND Health is involved in a range of studies that will help policymakers meet these challenges. Some of our current research projects are highlighted below.
Profiles of Current Research
Highlights of Recent Studies
Invisible Wounds: Mental Health and Cognitive Care Needs of America's Returning Veterans
Approximately 18.5 percent of U.S. servicemembers who have returned from Afghanistan and Iraq currently have posttraumatic stress disorder or depression; and 19.5 percent report experiencing a traumatic brain injury during deployment. This report summarizes a comprehensive RAND study of the mental health and cognitive needs of these servicemembers.Mental Health and Substance Abuse Issues Among People with HIV: Lessons from HCSUS
New findings from the HIV Costs and Services Utilization Study (HCSUS) shed light on the prevalence of mental health and substance abuse problems for persons with HIV, access to appropriate care, and ability to adhere to treatment.How Schools Responded to Student Mental Health Needs Following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
Despite strong initial efforts to support the mental health needs of students displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, most schools were not able to sustain their efforts.Behavioral Health Parity: Consequences for Federal Employee Health Plans
The parity requirements of the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program and managed care in combination can work to improve behavioral health care protection without increasing total costs.Integrating Treatment for People with Co-Occurring Mental Health and Substance Abuse Disorders in Public Systems of Care
Progress is being made in two key areas in treating people with co–occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders: new combination treatment models and innovative financing arrangements.Meeting the Health Care Needs of Adults with Severe Mental Illness
A key contributor to the problem of reduced treatment access and poorer quality of care given adults with severe mental illness is the disconnection between the mental health care sector, which provides most of the care for the severely mentally ill, and the general health care sector.Three Steps for Improving the Quality of Mental Health Care in the United States
Three steps to accelerate progress in improving the quality of mental health care in the United States are (1) expand the pool of effective programs and adapt them to a broader range of settings, (2) improve the infrastructure for delivering evidence-based treatment, and (3) promote innovation in financing.Anxiety Disorders Can Have Broad, Negative Health Effects
Patients with anxiety disorders (posttraumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, and social phobia) are likely to have both physical and mental impairment and overall poor quality of health.
Related Web Sites
Invisible Wounds of War Study
RAND Center for Military Health Policy Research
http://www.rand.org/multi/military/
The BRIGHT Project (Building Recovery by Improving Goals, Habits, & Thoughts)
Teen Depression Awareness Project
Healthcare for Communities
http://www.hsrcenter.ucla.edu/research/hcc.shtml
RAND Partners in Care
UCLA/RAND NIMH Center for Research on Quality in Managed Care
Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS)
HIV Cost and Services Utilization Study
Restoration Center
Working with Congress
RAND's Washington Office of Congressional Relations (OCR) furthers RAND's mission to provide objective analysis and effective solutions by disseminating research results to Congress and federal agencies. The OCR publishes a monthly electronic newsletter featuring current work on health policy. Contact: Shirley Ruhe (Shirley_Ruhe@rand.org) or Kristy Anderson (kristy@rand.org).
The RAND Health Congressional Newsletter
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