OBJECTIVE To measure the effects of a mental health benefit design change on treatment initiation for psychiatric disorders of employees of a large U.S.-based company. DATA SOURCES Mental health treatment administrative claims data plus eligibility information provided by the company for the years 1995-1998. STUDY DESIGN We measure the effect of a change in mental health benefits consisting...

Oral health problems, among the most prevalent comorbidities related to addiction, require more attention by both clinicians and policy-makers. Our aims were to review oral complications associated with drugs, oral health care in addiction rehabilitation, health services available, and barriers against oral health promotion among addicts. Drug abuse is associated with serious oral health proble...

AIM Early intervention (EI) in psychosis is a comprehensive and evidence-based approach aimed at detection and treatment of psychotic symptoms in their early stages. This paper presents core features and noteworthy aspects of the evidence basis and limitations of EI, the importance of programme fidelity, challenges for its widespread dissemination and economic perspectives related to it. METH...

The end of the last millennium witnessed an unprecedented degree of public awareness regarding mental disorder as well as motivation for policy change. Like Sartorius, we contend that the continued stigmatization of mental illness may well be the central issue facing the field, as nearly all attendant issues (e.g., standards of care, funding for basic and applied research efforts) emanate from ...

Secure the Future, Bristol-Myers Squibb's landmark $115 million program to offer care and support for the women and children affected and infected by HIV/AIDS in 9 countries in Southern and Western Africa, recently marked its 5-year anniversary. During that time it has supported nearly 200 programs in these countries to offer new approaches to medical research and care and community outreach an...

In bio-behavioural surveys measuring prevalence of infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), respondents should be asked the results of their last HIV test. However, many government authorities, nongovernmental organizations, researchers and other civil society stakeholders have stated that respondents involved in such surveys should not be asked to self-report their HIV status. The re...

Trichotillomania is a disorder characterized by recurrent urges to pull out one's hair, but the experiential characteristics of hair pulling urges are poorly understood. This study used a comparative approach to understand the subjective phenomenology of hair pulling: participants with trichotillomania symptoms were asked about their hair pulling urges as well as their urges to eat unhealthy fo...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Considering international diversity in the implementation of mental health peer support and an increasing research interest in peer support work (PSW), this review focuses on priorities in current research and practice. With grassroots in informal services for people with mental health problems, peer support has been strengthened by the recovery paradigm in mental health polic...

Since scholars have come into contact with Erving Goffman's work, "Stigma: Notes on the Handling of Deteriorated Identity," many issues been discussed in an interdisciplinary way subject stigma, at individual level and, more recently, organizational level. At this level, there are studies organizations that stigmatized since its inception; become stigmatized; developed actions to circumvent sti...