Psychiatric Services

Three related columns report on efforts to develop and implement best practices in the use of coercive interventions in programs and systems with a recovery orientation. Implementation of a "no force first" policy in a range of programs in four states is addressed, along with a developing consensus about best-practice components of involuntary outpatient treatment in the Commonwealth nations—England, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

In a recovery-oriented system in the 21st century, what should social integration of people with serious mental illness look like? If integration transcends use of community services and supports, how far are we from the goal of full social inclusion? A special section of five research reports and two commentaries addresses these questions and calls on clinicians and others to seek alternative approaches.

Getting unemployed veterans back to work is the aim of a bipartisan bill signed into law in November 2011. Veterans with PTSD who participated in an evidence-based supported employment program—individual placement and support—provided by the Veterans Health Administration were nearly three times more likely to gain and maintain competitive employment than those who received the standard vocational rehabilitation program.