Comparison of mental health services in rural and urban Washington.

Abstract

Rural mental health has been an area of increased study in recent years because of unique problems in service of rural areas and underrepresentation of professionals in rural areas. This study collected information from mental health centers in the state of Washington via the state management information system. Rural/urban differences were examined. Results showed that (1) rural therapist were more likely to be generalists than urban therapists, (2) psychologists performed more of the direct service work in rural centers than they did in urban centers, (3) rural centers spent less time in direct activities, and more time in support activities, but did not differ from urban centers in indirect activities, and (4) rural and urban centers did not spend different percentages of time in specific direct, indirect, and support activities with the exception of day treatment where urban centers put more of their time than rural centers.