Mental Health Care Coordination for Transition Aged Youth
Condition: Mental Health
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      This study seeks to quantify the impact of recommended mental health care coordination
      practices on patient experiences of care, (i.e. satisfaction, stigma, quality of mental
      health care), evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of the intervention (i.e. care
      coordination, timing, unmet needs), and assess mental health outcomes (i.e. symptoms and
      functioning, involvement with law enforcement/juvenile justice system; rates of substance use
      /abuse, service utilization) in a population of 16-22 year-old youth receiving primary care
      in a D.C. urban academic adolescent medicine practice, using standardized outcome measures.
    

Detailed description: 
      In the maternal and child health field, there is increasing awareness of modifiable health
      conditions that appear early in the life course and impact development and wellness
      throughout the life span. Special opportunities exist in vulnerable populations with serious
      mental health conditions to better understand what life course events can facilitate
      attainment of optimal health and development. One such opportunity is making sure youth with
      serious emotional disturbance/serious mental illness receive the mental health services they
      need.

      Unfortunately, untreated mental illness among adolescents and young adults is a major public
      health problem. Particularly concerning is the fact that 80% of youth with serious emotional
      disturbance/serious mental illness are not receiving needed mental health services and unmet
      mental health needs are even higher among certain populations, including minority youth.
      Youth with untreated mental health problems face a number of challenges that are exacerbated
      when left untreated. For example, youth with serious mental illness tend to have more
      difficulties in school and more involvement with the criminal justice system than their
      peers. These youth also face more challenges successfully transitioning to adulthood and
      becoming productive members of society.

      Untreated mental illness tends to lead to more intensive and costly treatment down the road.
      There are many barriers to accessing mental health services, including stigma and difficulty
      navigating a complex mental health system, which contribute to unmet mental health needs.
      Additionally, youth may be so significantly impaired that expecting them to access mental
      treatment without some supportive services is unrealistic.

      In light of these facts, it becomes urgent to implement recommended standards for mental
      health integration and evaluate their impact on mental health outcomes. The Center for
      Integrated Health Solutions in a joint Health Resources and Services Administration
      (HRSA)-Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) effort recently
      released expanded joint principles for behavioral health integration. In this model,
      coordinated care is defined by primary and behavioral health care provided at different
      locations in the medical neighborhood, but care is coordinated through enhanced communication
      across the two disciplines. This report makes available an important standard for
      establishing integrated mental health care coordination practices within a primary care
      setting, but also demands careful evaluation.

      This study seeks to quantify the impact of recommended mental health care coordination
      practices on patient experiences of care, (i.e. satisfaction, stigma, quality of mental
      health care), evaluate the efficiency/effectiveness of the intervention (i.e. care
      coordination, timing, unmet needs), and assess mental health outcomes (i.e. symptoms and
      functioning, involvement with law enforcement/juvenile justice system; rates of substance use
      /abuse, service utilization) in a population of 16-22 year-old youth receiving primary care
      in a D.C. urban academic adolescent medicine practice, using standardized outcome measures.
    

Intervention name(s): Mental Health Care Coordination
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Enhanced usual care with written mental health resources and system navigation information in addition to individualized mental health care coordination by a dedicated specially trained mental health care coordinator.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Participant)
Primary purpose: Health Services Research
Keywords: Care Coordination