Mental Health Funding Research Articles

School Social Work and Mental Health Funding

Abstract School social workers provide mental health services to millions of students each year. However, few studies focus on how social workers generate funding and other support for school mental health. The purpose of this study is to identify the continuum of school mental health supports and how social workers advocate for and generate these supports. This study examines variation in school social worker experiences across three school types: Chicago neighborhood schools, Chicago charter schools, and Chicago-area suburban schools. This study uses the ecological systems framework to structure the interview guide and inform coding. This study finds three major themes: (1) schools improve student access to mental health services, (2) social workers advocate for mental health supports differently depending on their school type, and (3) schools sideline social workers through inadequate support of their positions. Findings suggest greater support for school social work positions and greater collaboration between administrators and school social workers to fully leverage available resources and meet student mental health needs.

California voters approve rollback of 2014 criminal justice measure

Concerns about the effects of crimes on local communities have convinced California voters to approve a rollback of a criminal justice initiative they had backed in 2014, in a vote that is expected to have a significant impact on mental health funding streams. With just over half of votes counted, Proposition 36 last week appeared headed for an overwhelming victory, standing at just over 70% support. The measure will reclassify as felonies some nonviolent offenses that had been reduced to misdemeanors when the state's voters approved Proposition 47 in 2014. Savings from the 2014 initiative's reduction in incarceration were directed to investment in mental health and related services (see “California ballot item could reduce major mental health funding source,” MHW, Oct. 14, 2024; https://doi.org/10.1002/mhw.34205). California Gov. Gavin Newsom had spoken out strongly against the new initiative, but voters appeared swayed by the effects of thefts, drug crimes and related acts on local communities' quality of life. Under the earlier act's funding formula, 65% of the state's savings from reduced incarceration were directed to mental health, substance use and diversion programs.

Health economics and services research in symbiosis: STREAMLINEing mental health services in Austria

Abstract Objectives The cost of mental diseases exceeds 4% of GDP in Europe. In Austria, every 5th person lives with mental ill-health (MIH). Ongoing epidemiological, demographic and societal changes increase the need for easily accessible, better integrated and good value services. In STREAMLINE, we combine, harmonize and implement the latest methods in human service mapping and economic costing to optimize future service provision and financing for MIH in Austria. Methods We comprehensively assess the availability, activity and affordability of human services targeting MIH in Vienna within the health and social care, education, labour and justice sectors based on a conceptual mind map. We identify services through extensive literature, document and web searches plus expert consultations. Services are mapped and costed according to the European PECUNIA methods: classification of the main service types using the international DESDE taxonomy of human services; development of Reference Unit Costs using the PECUNIA RUC templates with primary data; validation of the results with secondary data; compilation of a comprehensive multi-sectoral service catalogue; and synthesis for spatial and policy analyses. Results We identified 756 sources, 75% individual organisations, 5% multi-organisations and 20% existing provider lists. 84% relate to health and social care, 10% labour, and 3% education and justice sectors each. 58% deliver care to adults, 37% to children & adolescents, and 5% support carers. Further service mapping and RUCs will be presented. Discussion STREAMLINE pioneers in coordinated public mental health services and economics research at scale. Assessed levels of fragmentation call for better integration, improved transition, reduced spatial inequity and increased support for carers. Results increase the feasibility of service evaluations from a societal perspective. Planned public service atlas facilitates information and access for service users and carers. Funding: WWTF Key messages • New methods for harmonized health services and economics research allow comprehensive information for optimized future mental health service planning and financing. • Assessed levels of fragmentation highlight the need for better integration, improved transition, reduced spatial inequity and increased support for carers.

Achieving universal health coverage inSub-Saharan Africa through the reformation of mental health financing

Insufficient financing is limiting mental health services for universal health coverage (UHC) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Without ambitious steps to enhance mental health services, UHC will fall far below its historical agenda; however, adequate mental health financing could strengthen governments’ capacity to provide additional budgetary resources. This paper aims to identify potential strategies for more equitable and sustainable mental health financing in SSA. Using Uganda as a key example, we provide a contextual analysis and highlight current gaps. We draw parallels with successful countries and discuss recommendations for engagement from the global mental health community. This perspective focuses on health systems, mental disease burden, and macro-fiscal situation. Drivers of fiscal space for health indicate prospects to boost mental health budgets for socioeconomic development. Governments should conduct consistent mental health investment cases and expedite fiscal space for aggressive taxation to health reforms.

California ballot item could reduce major mental health funding source

California ballot item could reduce major mental health funding source

Demographic differences in perceived effectiveness for policies to prevent school shootings: results from a representative survey in New Jersey

ObjectiveTo determine what firearm policies New Jersey residents believe will prevent school shootings and the extent to which this varies by sex, firearm ownership status, and political affiliation.MethodsA representative sample of New Jersey residents (N = 1,018) was collected via the Eagleton Center on Public Interest Polling (ECPIP). Data were weighted to reflect the state's population. Participants were asked to rate how helpful they perceived different firearm-related policies to be for preventing school shootings.ResultsFindings indicate that participants perceived universal and expanded background checks, increased mental health funding, and requiring a license for firearm purchases as most effective for preventing school shootings. Arming school personnel, prayer in schools, decreasing the number of entrances at schools, and secure storage requirements were viewed as less effective. Firearm ownership, sex, and political affiliation significantly influenced perceptions of the effectiveness of these policies.ConclusionThe study examined the perceived effectiveness of policies to prevent school shootings. The study highlights disparities and commonalities in policy support among different groups, emphasizing the importance of collective efforts to address gun violence in schools.

Trends in the impact of suicide compared to other external causes of death: From 1995 to 2020

BackgroundSuicide is one of the world's greatest public health problems. More than 700,000 people lose their lives to suicide every year. While funding for mental health waits to be increased, thousands of suicides occur every day. Material and methodsThis study aims to quantify the global impact of suicide compared to other external causes of death in terms of years of potential life lost (YPLL), and how this will change between 1995 and 2020. Our source of information is the World Health Organization (WHO) mortality database. We then use YPLL, a standard measure of premature mortality and burden of disease that brings precision to the assessment of the impact of different causes of death. This, combined with the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) as a way of expressing increase, gives us a better understanding of the real situation and trends of suicide compared to other external causes of death in different countries worldwide. ResultsBased on the available sources of information and the selection criteria, we obtained a sample of 69 countries. The CAGR for all causes per capita decreased over the observed period in 65 countries, and it increases in 4 countries. In contrast, the CAGR specifically for suicide decreased in 49 countries, while an increase was observed in 20 countries. ConclusionsPrevention of most external causes of mortality shows promising data in most countries. However, this is not the case for suicide. Thus, YPLL due to suicide have decreased to a comparatively lesser extent and have even increased in some countries, a very worrying situation that poses many clinical and epidemiological challenges.

Delivery of Mental Health Services in Bhutan: Challenges and Way Forward

ABSTRACTBhutan is known for its developmental philosophy of Gross National Happiness. Bhutan introduced mental health services in 1997 with the launch of Mental Health Program. Mental health includes psychological, emotional, and social well‐being. The Department of Psychiatry, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital in the capital city Thimphu is the only psychiatric unit providing specialized mental health services in Bhutan. The psychiatric unit consists of multidisciplinary team rendering both out‐ and in‐patient mental health services. However, mental health services were gradually integrated in district hospitals, Primary Healthcare Centres and in schools. Although mental health services are an essential component of the healthcare system, the system faces numerous difficulties. Inaccessibility to mental health services due to geographical location and inadequate mental health professionals poses challenges in addressing mental health issues. Mental health issues are perceived differently, and the people with mental health issues often suffer from stigmatization creating barriers in seeking mental health services. Therefore, misconception and stigma associated to mental illness also cause greater challenges in delivering mental health services. Mental health funding has been substantially lower than the World Health Organization recommended mental health budget, amounting to 1% of health budget. Inadequate mental health funding remained a serious concern for the last few decades. Adequate mental health funding is vital in expanding the overall Mental Health Program and improving both the quality and quantity of mental health professionals. Additionally, enhancing community mental health initiatives will reinforce mental health services. Furthermore, there is a need for advancements in evidence and mental health research to support evidence‐based practices and enhance mental health literacy.

Barriers, facilitators and proposed solutions to equitable mental health financing and service delivery for the Lebanese populations and displaced Syrians in Lebanon: Findings from a qualitative study

Barriers, facilitators and proposed solutions to equitable mental health financing and service delivery for the Lebanese populations and displaced Syrians in Lebanon: Findings from a qualitative study

NICU Parent and Staff Advocacy to Address Parental Mental Health

Parents of infants requiring neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) hospitalization often experience increased rates of distress, trauma, and perinatal mood disorders. Untreated parental mental health conditions have short- and long-term effects for infants and families. While some NICUs provide varying degrees of mental health supports for NICU families, these services are not universally or systematically integrated in US NICUs. Multiple factors contribute to this gap in care, including mental health stigma, funding constraints, and lack of staff training and capacity. In an effort to address this gap, we used a participatory action research approach, guided by a Patient and Stakeholder Engagement model, to partner with graduate NICU parents and patient-facing NICU staff to identify parental mental health needs and ideas to address them. Through efforts to mitigate power differentials and engage parents as research and program development partners, our work shaped NICU practices, programming, and subsequent research.

Investing in School Mental Health: Strategies to Wisely Spend Federal and State Funding.

In the context of the current youth mental health crisis, it is prudent to reconsider how resources are allocated to facilitate the delivery of effective and comprehensive supports and services to children and adolescents. Schools are the main delivery sites for youth mental health services. Many districts have adopted comprehensive school mental health systems (CSMHS) to provide a multitiered approach comprising mental health promotion, prevention, and intervention to students via partnerships between school and community health and behavioral health providers. COVID-19 relief funding and other new federal and state investments in school mental health have led to expansions of school mental health programming in most states. An impending federal funding cliff necessitates an examination of how to wisely invest now to achieve the greatest positive future impact on youth mental health. To capitalize on opportunities to sustain effective school mental health and maximize return on investment, states may consider four strategies: leverage cross-sector partnerships to advance school mental health policies and funding, strengthen and expand Medicaid coverage of CSMHS, establish and enhance data systems, and create state technical assistance and professional development support for CSMHS implementation through local education agencies.

Justice-Involvement and Access to Mental Health Care

Barriers to mental health treatment are underscored in the justice-involved (JI) population, which faces multiple stigma and greater social and economic disadvantage. Indeed, some have suggested that greater access to community treatment may prevent re-arrest. By analyzing the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the impact of JI status on probability of various barriers to mental health treatment was assessed. Results indicated that justice-involvement, especially in the past year, was related to a higher error rate in perceiving mental health issues. However, JI status was generally related to a lower likelihood of reporting any particular barrier. Recommendations include an emphasis on the system response, including provision of mental health education, legislative reform, and funding community treatment options.

Islamic mental health financing schemes for parents with mental disorder children

PurposeThis study aims to examine the receptiveness of Islamic mental health financing schemes among parents with mental disorder children in Malaysia.Design/methodology/approachThe innovation diffusion theory (IDT) was used to examine the factors influencing the receptiveness using empirical data from 323 respondents.FindingsThe IDT’s factors, namely, compatibility, relative advantage and simplicity were instrumental in determining the receptiveness.Research limitations/implicationsThe usefulness of the results obtained was confined to the theory used as well as the geographical areas chosen.Practical implicationsThe results obtained serve as a useful reference guide for Islamic banks in offering these schemes to parents with mental disorder children.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to test the effects of financial innovation drivers on the proposed Islamic mental health financing schemes in terms of their receptiveness.

Leaving no one behind: Leveraging support to promote access with success in post-graduate studies

Postgraduate student enrolment at South African universities has increased significantly. While this is commendable, it has raised concerns about low success rates. Various scholars have identified under-preparedness, supervision challenges, mental health issues and funding, among other factors, that contribute to the post-graduate success crisis. We believe that post-graduate support services have a significant role to play in dealing with this success crisis. Therefore, in this article, we present a two-fold argument about post-graduate support in South African universities. Firstly, we argue that universities have prioritised support services aimed primarily at undergraduate students, with insufficient support at the post-graduate level, and this has negative implications for post-graduate students’ well-being, success and, ultimately, the knowledge-creating project in the South African higher education context. In so doing, we also highlight some of the gaps as potential areas of improvement in existing postgraduate support services. Secondly, we argue that improved support for postgraduate students requires well-coordinated and collaborative efforts between multiple stakeholders: supervisors, students and university support services, among others. In this way, this article contributes to the body of knowledge on access with success, illuminating the value of support in, and the intricacies of, post-graduate studies.

The State School Mental Health Profile: Findings from 25 States.

State-level leadership and conditions are instrumental to local and regional comprehensive school mental health system (CSMHS) quality, sustainability, and growth. However, systematic documentation of state-level school mental health (SMH) policy, infrastructure, funding, and practice is limited. Using a multi-phase, multi-method process, we developed the State School Mental Health Profile (State Profile) to offer a comprehensive landscape of state SMH efforts. State leaders in 25 states completed the State Profile once over a 3-year data collection period. Mixed methods results are reported in 8 domains. State education agencies were reportedly most involved in SMH technical assistance, advocacy, leadership, funding, and service provision, with mental health agencies reported as second most involved. Nearly half of state respondents reported having a state-level SMH director or coordinator. Policies with the greatest perceived impact require implementation of and funding for SMH services and supports. Despite leveraging multiple sources of funding, most states emphasized lack of funding as a primary barrier to establishing CSMHSs. All states reported staffing shortages. The State Profile can assist multi-agency state leadership teams to self-assess policy, infrastructure, and resources to support CSMHSs statewide. Findings point to areas of opportunity to advance equity across resource allocation, service provision, and policy development.

Biomarker Methodologies: A NIMH Perspective.

Biomarkers are critically important in the development of drugs, biologics, medical devices, and psychosocial interventions for psychiatric disorders. As the lead federal agency charged with setting and supporting the national agenda for mental health research, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) funds a broad portfolio of basic, translational, and clinical research focused on identifying, developing, and validating biomarkers for serious mental illnesses and neurodevelopmental conditions. In psychiatric research over the past 10years, there has been an intensive effort to identify biomarkers as potential tools to improve treatment options for individuals with mental health concerns and increase success in the development of novel interventions. This chapter highlights examples of biomarker technologies that have been utilized to advance understanding of the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders and the development of novel therapeutics.

Consumer knowledge of mental health conditions, awareness of mental health support services, and perception of community pharmacists' role in mental health promotion.

To explore community pharmacy consumers' knowledge and attitudes of mental illness, support services, and community pharmacists' role in supporting people living with mental illness (PLMI). This survey was conducted in 15 community pharmacies between June and September 2019. Participants were aged 18 years or older without prior or ongoing history of mental illness and/or with close family members with mental illness. Open-ended responses to the anonymous questionnaire were analysed using content analysis. Majority of the 380 participants were female (57.4%) with a mean age 52.9 years and 33.7% having completed university. Most (70.3%) believed that people with mental illness had a negative image due to poor health literacy providing possible solutions of 'awareness campaigns', 'education and training', and 'increased government funding for mental health (MH) support services'. Only 33.7% and 63.7% of participants were aware of Mental Health Week and the R U OK? Campaign, respectively. Whilst 12.4% of participants had participated in MH campaigns, only 3.4% were aware of community pharmacists-led MH educational activities. There were significant differences between adults (<65 years) and older adults (≥65 years old) with the latter reporting a more negative image for mental illness (P < 0.05) and having less exposure and engagement with MH resources (P < 0.001) and campaigns (P < 0.01). Despite awareness, participants reported low engagement with MH campaigns. Additionally, older adults had lower MH literacy and exposure to resources and campaigns. This study highlighted that the community lacked awareness of what pharmacists can offer to support PLMIs.

Identification of mental disorders in South Africa using complex probabilistic hesitant fuzzy N-soft aggregation information

This paper aims to address the challenges faced by medical professionals in identifying mental disorders. These mental health issues are an increasing public health concern, and middle-income nations like South Africa are negatively impacted. Mental health issues pose a substantial public health concern in South Africa, putting forth extensive impacts on both individuals and society broadly. Insufficient funding for mental health remains the greatest barrier in this country. In order to meet the diverse and complex requirements of patients effective decision making in the treatment of mental disorders is crucial. For this purpose, we introduced the novel concept of the complex probabilistic hesitant fuzzy N-soft set (CPHFNSS) for modeling the unpredictability and uncertainty effectively. Our approach improves the precision with which certain traits connected to different types of mental conditions are recognized by using the competence of experts. We developed the fundamental operations (like extended and restricted intersection, extended and restricted union, weak, top, and bottom weak complements) with examples. We also developed the aggregation operators and their many features, along with their proofs and theorems, for CPHFNSS. By implementing these operators in the aggregation process, one could choose a combination of characteristics. Further, we introduced the novel score function, which is used to determine the optimal choice among them. In addition, we created an algorithm with numerical illustrations for decision making in which physicians employ CPHFNS data to diagnose a specific condition. Finally, comparative analyses confirm the practicability and efficacy of the technique that arises from the model developed in this paper.

Self-inflicted Burns: The Experience of a UK Regional Burns Center.

Self-inflicted burns (SIBs) are preventable injuries that often occur due to suicidal intent or deliberate self-harm. The incidence of SIB and demographics vary across different countries. This study highlights our regional experience of SIB over almost 2 decades, assessing characteristics and outcomes. A retrospective chart review of all patients assessed at a UK regional burns center, presenting with SIB, from 2003 to 2021, was performed. Subgroup analyses based on gender, the presence or absence of pre-existing psychiatric disorders, and in-hospital patient mortality were undertaken. The relationship between annual mental health funding and the incidence of SIB was assessed. Over the study period, a total of 285 SIB cases, with a median age of 42.84 years, were presented to our center. The majority of patients were male (63.2%) and had a pre-existing psychiatric disorder (74.7%). Flame burns were the most frequent type of injury (82.1%) and the median total BSA (TBSA) was 10.25%. The average length of hospital stay was 10 days and the inpatient mortality rate was 20.7%, significantly greater than the mortality of the rest of the cohort (3.7%, P < .01). SIB survivors were younger and had less severe burns, relative to non-survivors. There was no statistically significant correlation between the incidence of SIBs and mental health funding. SIBs account for a minority of referrals to our regional burns center. Adequately funded regional and national measures should be implemented to reduce the incidence and impact of these injuries, alongside appropriate mental health support.

Trabalho e riscos de adoecimento na Atenção Psicossocial Territorial: implicações para a gestão do cuidado em saúde mental

ABSTRACT The study aims to analyze precarious work due to working conditions that influence the management of mental health care and occupational health. This single case mixed study was conducted in six Psychosocial Care Centers (CAPS) in a Decentralized Health Sector. The Work and Illness Risks Inventory was applied to a total purposeful sample of 35 workers, 15 of whom participated in the projective interview. Data were processed in SPSS 26.0.0.0 as measures of central tendency and dispersion. The interviews were categorized based on the evaluation axes proposed by the inventory, contextualized, and discussed from Edgar Morin’s Complex Thought. The result is critical for most predictors that evaluated the context, human cost, pleasure, distress, and harm related to work in the CAPS. Data illustrated by the workers’ narratives describe the precarious work conditions. Local Unified Health System managers quickly incorporated neoliberalism’s productivist principles, perpetuating substandard work conditions. Mental health care management processes, funding, and legal occupational and contractual conditions must be reviewed to align with Territorial Psychosocial Care (APT).