141st APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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Recorded Annual Meeting Presentations (RAMP) are now available for purchase.
Only $90 for presenters, $140 for registered attendees and $200 for non-attendees.

Online Program

292335
Non-utilization of mental health services: A consumers' perspective


Monday, November 4, 2013 : 9:30 a.m. - 9:50 a.m.

Mary I. Armstrong, PhD, Department of Child and Family Studies, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Roger A. Boothroyd, PhD, Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
     
Abstract In a prospective cohort study of 102 adults with serious mental illness, 18% of the participants reported using no mental health services throughout the nearly 14½ months that they were monitored. An analysis by financing condition indicated that HMO enrollees (24.3%) were significantly more likely to report no mental health service use compared to participants enrolled in the FFS condition (12.7%). 17.2% of the individuals in the PMHP reported no mental health service use during the study period.

In an attempt to better understand why such a high percentage of adults receiving SSI because of a severe mental illness were not using mental health services, 83 of these 102 individuals (83%) were asked during the final interview to explain why they “were not currently receiving any treatment for their emotional or psychiatric problems.” A qualitative analysis of the responses was conducted in order to identify primary themes. The question generated 90 different statements that were classified in the analysis into five broad themes. The five categories included: 1) client indicating mental health services were not needed, 2) problems with accessing mental health services, 3) perceptions that previous mental health services were not helpful, 4) challenges experienced by respondents who were using the primary care physician as a mental health provider, and 5) a miscellaneous category.

This presentation will include a detailed qualitative analysis of the subthemes and patterns identified in the responses.

Learning Areas:

Chronic disease management and prevention
Other professions or practice related to public health
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Identify the reasons why consumers with serious mental health problems do not use mental health services Explain the perspectives of consumers on access and service utilization

Keyword(s): Access, Adult and Child Mental Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have extensive experience and skills in behavioral health services research and especially6 in qualitative data analysis.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 3056.0: Screening and Assessment of Adults with Mental Illness and Complex Conditions