Psychiatric services : a journal of the American Psychiatric Association
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This study examined progress in making the mental health workforce more diverse and in better representing racial-ethnic minority groups in randomized intervention trials of common mental disorders since the publication of the U.S. Surgeon General's 2001 report Mental Health: Culture, Race, and Ethnicity. ⋯ Little progress has been made in developing a more diverse workforce; racial-ethnic minority groups remain highly underrepresented. There is more representation of racial-ethnic minority populations in randomized intervention trials, but their numbers often remain too small to analyze. Recommendations for improving both areas are considered.
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Comparative Study
Psychotropic prescribing for persons with intellectual disabilities and other psychiatric disorders.
Prescribing patterns of psychotropic medication over a five-year period for Medicaid recipients (adults and children) with codiagnoses of an intellectual disability and a mental disorder were compared with patterns for those with sole mental disorder diagnoses. ⋯ Psychotropic prescribing patterns in the two groups studied varied by class of medication and age. Although evidence exists for using psychotropics to treat psychopathology and challenging behaviors among individuals with intellectual disabilities, consideration of behavioral intervention alternatives and careful monitoring of psychotropic effectiveness and side effects are recommended.