Psychiatric services : a journal of the American Psychiatric Association
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Outcomes of managing disability benefits among patients with substance dependence and severe mental illness.
To evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of a program to manage Social Security disability benefits in a clinical sample of patients with severe mental illness and co-occurring substance dependence, 41 patients were randomly assigned to have their benefits either contingently or noncontingently managed through their mental health center. Contingent management involved adjustments to the type or frequency (not amount) of disability benefits and payments for study participation based on ratings of substance use, money management, and treatment follow-through. The patients with contingent management used significantly less alcohol and drugs and showed much better money management than those with noncontingent management. Patients and case managers who participated in the study reported that they found the management strategy to be acceptable and useful.
-
This study examined whether the situational factors that contribute to severe grief in the general population predicted the severity of grief in a sample of persons who had diagnoses of serious mental illness. ⋯ Mental health services for persons with serious mental illness should begin to incorporate preparation for parental death and bereavement counseling as essential services, and such interventions should approach bereavement as a normal rather than a pathological response to interpersonal loss.