Estimating the Local Prevalence of Persons Needing Community Support Programs
Abstract
As Community Support Programs for the chronically mentally ill expand, it becomes increasingly important to determine the number of individuals qualifying for these services. Although national prevalence data are currently available, they have only limited usefulness for program planning at state and local levels. Given the distinctive circumstances affecting each community's chronically ill population, their number, and their need for services, the authors propose identifying a patient cohort that approximates the local prevalence of persons needing Community Support Programs by using one of three methods. The first method identifies persom who have been hospitalized previously and who currently require outpatient psychiatric care. The second identifies persons previously hospitalized who require another hospitalization during a specified period of time. And, the third method identifies persons who are currently in outpatient treatment with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Choice of method depends on definition of chronic mental illness, type of data available, local treatment philosophies, and health care system structure.
Access content
To read the fulltext, please use one of the options below to sign in or purchase access.- Personal login
- Institutional Login
- Sign in via OpenAthens
- Register for access
-
Please login/register if you wish to pair your device and check access availability.
Not a subscriber?
PsychiatryOnline subscription options offer access to the DSM-5 library, books, journals, CME, and patient resources. This all-in-one virtual library provides psychiatrists and mental health professionals with key resources for diagnosis, treatment, research, and professional development.
Need more help? PsychiatryOnline Customer Service may be reached by emailing [email protected] or by calling 800-368-5777 (in the U.S.) or 703-907-7322 (outside the U.S.).
