Is there a difference? A comparative study of mobile intensive treatment team and continuing care team consumers’ clinical and other characteristics

Abstract

Assertive community treatment has become widely accepted as a vehicle for providing treatment for mental health consumers who require intensive community follow up due to their numerous and lengthy presentations to hospital. This study was designed to identify the clinical differences in consumers who access case management through community mental health services and those who receive services through a mobile intensive treatment team (MITT). The findings indicate that consumers in MITT had higher dynamic risk factors, receive involuntary care through the Mental Health Act and had increased physical health care needs. In addition, MITT consumers were socially isolated and most were living alone with a history of unemployment. The findings identified that MITT clients were significantly more disabled on the indicators assessed and were likely to require the more intensive treatment provided through assertive follow-up. The smaller caseloads found in assertive models of case management need to be maintained to enable clinicians to deal with clients who have complex needs.