April 19, 2017
Carol MeyersDirector of Communications
Uncharted: The Role of Serious Mental Illness on Super Utilization
Comprehensive Review Finds Little Data on Revolving-Door Phenomenon
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA - The role of serious mental illness on demand for public services is widely recognized by service providers but is rarely tracked or reported in ways that make it useful to policymakers in a position to address the issue, according to a new survey by the Treatment Advocacy Center.
As a result, public policies and practices are being established and funded based on incomplete or irrelevant evidence, or headline stories that may or may not reflect underlying human and economic realities, to the detriment of the individuals caught in the revolving door and taxpayers.
"This is an issue with significant public policy implications," said John Snook, executive director of the Treatment Advocacy Center and a co-author of "A Crisis in Search of Data: The Revolving Door of Serious Mental Illness in Super Utilization." "Without evidence-based policies and practices that address the causes of high utilization, those with serious mental illness will continue to cycle through homelessness, jails and prisons, and the few psychiatric hospital beds that remain. This is a national public health emergency."
The survey, which started with more than 3,000 research reports and other sources, represents the first published effort to systematically and comprehensively review what has been reported in government, academic and mass media sources about a phenomenon known as super utilization or high utilization-the relatively frequent use of high-cost public services by a relatively small number of people.
"This dooms policymakers to making critical decisions without essential information," said Snook. "Tradeoffs between systems that could be made to reduce super utilization costs overall and improve the quality of life for people with mental illness trapped in the cycle are missed because the methods and data necessary for informed decisions do not exist."
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The Treatment Advocacy Center is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating barriers to the timely and effective treatment of severe mental illness. The organization promotes laws, policies and practices for the delivery of psychiatric care and supports the development of innovative treatments for and research into the causes of severe and persistent psychiatric illnesses, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
The American Psychiatric Association has awarded the Treatment Advocacy Center its presidential commendation for "sustained extraordinary advocacy on behalf of the most vulnerable mentally ill patients who lack the insight to seek and continue effective care and benefit from assisted outpatient treatment." The organization does not accept funding from the pharmaceutical industry.