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Mental Health and Illness

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Many diseases, injuries, and maladies are associated with psychological or physical impairment that affect mental health. RAND research covers a broad range of mental health and illness topics, including autism spectrum disorders, teen depression, disparities in mental health care, and post-traumatic stress (PTSD) among military veterans and survivors of natural disasters.

Commentary
Will the New 988 Hotline Be a Game Changer for Mental Health or a Missed Opportunity?
Someone dies from suicide in the United States every 11 minutes, a rate that has increased almost 30 percent since 2000. The 988 mental health hotline will launch on July 16, but states need to clear significant hurdles: funding the expanded crisis response system and making sure people know it's available.
Jun 20, 2022
Research Brief
Standards for Delivering High-Quality Care to Veterans with Invisible Wounds
Depression, PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and substance use disorders interfere with veterans' employment, family life, community engagement, and well-being. There are effective treatments but also barriers to accessing them. A set of standards can help identify providers who serve veterans and deliver high-quality care.
May 9, 2022

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Commentary
The Ripples of War Are Only Beginning to Spread. Is America Ready?
There are now more than 1.9 million U.S. veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. More than 50,000 were physically injured and around 15 percent have experienced PTSD. Perhaps all were exposed to burn pits and other toxins. What are the long-term impacts of the wars on those who fought them?
Mar 23, 2023
Report
Behavioral Health Care Following the Onset of the Pandemic
In what ways did the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic change how behavioral health care was delivered to service members with PTSD, depression, or substance use disorder?
Mar 20, 2023
Tool
CLARO Intervention User Manual: A Guide for Care Teams and Individual Practitioners
The Collaboration Leading to Addiction Treatment and Recovery from Other Stresses research study advances collaborative care treatment for patients who have opioid use disorder with major depressive disorder and/or posttraumatic stress disorder.
Mar 10, 2023
Journal Article
Association of Polysubstance Use Disorder with Treatment Quality Among Medicaid Beneficiaries with Opioid Use Disorder
Ongoing progress toward increasing access to and quality of evidence-based treatment for OUD requires further efforts to ensure that individuals with co-occurring SUDs are engaged and retained in effective treatment.
Mar 10, 2023
Journal Article
Screening for Opioid Use Disorder and Co-Occurring Depression and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Primary Care in New Mexico
This study helps quantify the extent of diagnostic and treatment service gaps for opioid use disorder and co-occurring mental health disorders in primary care settings serving rural and socioeconomically disadvantaged patients in New Mexico.
Mar 10, 2023
Journal Article
Collaboration Leading to Addiction Treatment and Recovery from Other Stresses (CLARO): Process of Adapting Collaborative Care for Co-Occurring Opioid Use and Mental Disorders
To address a treatment and quality gap, RAND researchers adapted collaborative care for co-occurring opioid use disorder and mental health disorders.
Mar 10, 2023
Journal Article
Design of CLARO (Collaboration Leading to Addiction Treatment and Recovery from Other Stresses): A Randomized Trial of Collaborative Care for Opioid Use Disorder and Co-Occurring Depression And/Or Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
This article describes the CLARO collaborative care for co-occurring disorders intervention and clinical trial.
Mar 10, 2023
Report
Interventions for People Who Have Attempted Suicide and Their Family Members: A Systematic Review
A history of having attempted suicide is an important risk factor for suicide. In this report, the authors review the uptake, retention, and effectiveness of suicide aftercare interventions after an attempt.
Mar 8, 2023
Commentary
RAND Experts on Veteran Mental Health Respond to the White House Mental Health Research Priorities
The White House identified eight research priorities to better manage America's current mental health crisis. RAND researchers highlight why each area is critical for veteran mental health and how RAND is contributing to address them.
Feb 20, 2023
Commentary
Preventing Military Sexual Assault Is Important. So Is Getting Mental Health Care Afterward
Despite a decade of scrutiny on the issue, sexual assault and harassment in the military is still a pervasive problem. The effects of the trauma from these assaults can be lasting. So it's not just the military services, but also veterans' services, that need to connect these people to appropriate care for mental health.
Feb 15, 2023
Blog
State of the Union, Mental Health First Aid, China's Spy Balloon: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on President Biden's State of the Union address, the benefits of mental health first aid training, insights on China’s spy balloon, and more.
Feb 10, 2023
Report
The Benefits of Mental Health First Aid Training
More than 155,000 New Yorkers were trained in Mental Health First Aid between 2016 and 2020. They learned how to be active listeners, to provide reassurance and information, and to encourage professional care when appropriate. Most of the trainees ended up using their MHFA skills to support others and their own well-being.
Feb 7, 2023
Research Brief
Large-Scale Training in Mental Health First Aid: An Evaluation of New York City's 2016–2020 Efforts
In an evaluation of a city-wide effort to train New Yorkers in Mental Health First Aid, RAND researchers found that the majority of participants had used their skills to help friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers in the past six months.
Feb 7, 2023
Journal Article
Perceived Need for Mental Health Treatment and the Mental Health Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States
Population-based information on the extent of perceived need for mental health treatment and clinically significant psychological distress can help inform strategies for responding to the mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Feb 1, 2023
Journal Article
Human Health and Socioeconomic Effects of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is the only declared Spill of National Significance in U.S. history, and it significantly impacted the health of people and communities in the Gulf of Mexico region.
Feb 1, 2023
Journal Article
Early Evaluation of the Children and Young People's Mental Health Trailblazer Programme: A Rapid Mixed-Methods Study
An early evaluation of the Children and Young People's Mental Health Trailblazer programme examines the development, implementation and early progress of the 25 mental health support teams created as the first step of the programme.
Feb 1, 2023
Journal Article
Disaster Experience, Social Capitals, and Behavioral Health
The goal of this study is to assess the relationships between different forms of social capital (community engagement, trust, and social support) on different behavioral health indicators (depression, anxiety, and alcohol misuse).
Jan 25, 2023
Journal Article
Older Adults' Behavioral Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic
This chapter synthesizes findings from existing research on the behavioral health implications of the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, we consider differences across the life course and the relative resilience of older adults.
Jan 25, 2023
Journal Article
Income-related Disparities in Medicare Advantage Behavioral Health Care Quality
Low income is associated with lower performance on behavioral health measures, but associations differ across racial groups. Improving care integration and addressing barriers to care may improve equity across income levels.
Jan 24, 2023
Blog
Regulating Space, Threats to Critical Infrastructure, Psychedelics: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on the need for governance in outer space, why the recent FAA system failure was a wake-up call, the changing policy landscape around psychedelic therapies, and more.
Jan 20, 2023

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RAND Topic:
Mental Health and Illness

Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Alicia Revitsky Locker

Associate Physical Scientist

Alicia Locker is a behavioral neuroscientist at the RAND Corporation. Locker’s interests include health and mental health in active military service members and veteran populations, retention and resiliency in service members, caregiver support, military readiness, social isolation and…
Avery Adams

Research Assistant

Avery Adams (they/them) is a research assistant at RAND Europe working primarily within the area of health and wellbeing. Before joining RAND, they completed a master's degree in the history and philosophy of science and medicine at the University of Cambridge. Their research interests include…

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