It has now been four years since the Treatment Advocacy Center established the Office of Research and Public Affairs (ORPA). Since its inception, ORPA has produced original research on the role and impact of serious mental illness on public service systems, including the role of mental illness in fatal law enforcement encounters and the dwindling supply of civil and forensic hospital beds. Also central to its mission is filling the informational void around severe mental illness by making relevant research accessible to family members, policymakers, clinicians, media, and the general public.
Below are a few key ORPA highlights from 2018:
- Schizophrenia prevalence rate - Dr. Torrey and Elizabeth Sinclair wrote an issue brief calling attention to the National Institute of Mental Health and Director Josh Gordon changing the reported prevalence rate of schizophrenia on their website, effectively making two million people with schizophrenia in the United States disappear. As a result of this paper, Dr. McCance-Katz and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration are moving forward with a new epidemiological study on the prevalence of severe mental disorders in the United States, of which Dr. Torrey and Elizabeth are serving as expert advisors.
- Bedless Psychiatry - In this JAMA Psychiatry article, Elizabeth Sinclair with co-authors Dominic Sisti, PhD, and Steven Sharfstein, MD, wrote how the loss of psychiatric beds in the United States has surpassed a crisis point. The authors called for a more nuanced lexicon of beds, beyond just civil, forensic, private or public, that will better inform public policy decisions. Improved bed definitions will aid efforts to build a system of care across a broader continuum that is capable of serving the continuum of needs confronting individuals with severe psychiatric disorders.
- Crisis Intervention Team International conference - ORPA presented the initial findings from a law enforcement department survey at the 2018 Annual Crisis Intervention Team International conference in Kansas City, Missouri. In partnership with the National Sheriffs' Association and New York State Association of Chiefs' of Police, the survey results present insights into the role of law enforcement in mental illness crisis response and transport in the United States. Be on the lookout - the full report will be released in early 2019.
- Research Weekly - ORPA monitors the scientific and academic literature base on serious mental illness and translates the most relevant and interesting findings into weekly summaries for our followers. This unique service is a core value of ORPA's mission and the most important work that we do. If you are reading this online, you can subscribe, here, to receive Research Weekly directly in your email inbox as soon as it is released.
Lastly, ORPA is conducting an to learn more about your experience with the research we produce. Your feedback will be valuable in helping us continue to produce meaningful and quality research in the New Year.
Thank you for your continuous support of ORPA and the Treatment Advocacy Center.
Sending you the warmest wishes in the new year ahead.
Elizabeth Sinclair
Director of Research
Treatment Advocacy Center