Mental Health Treatment Study

The Mental Health Treatment Study (MHTS) will focus on the impact that better access to treatment and employment support services would have on outcomes such as medical recovery, functioning, employment, and benefit receipt for SSDI beneficiaries with a primary impairment of schizophrenia or affective disorder. The evaluation will assess the impact and cost effectiveness of the intervention, including an identification of the specific factors within the interventions that result in positive employment outcomes.

The MHTS will provide mental health disorder treatments (pharmaceutical and psychotherapeutic) and/or employment supports that are not covered by other insurance for study participants. The contract for the study was awarded to Westat in September 2005. Westat has partnered with the University of Maryland Baltimore County, Value Options, Dartmouth, the University of Texas at San Antonio, and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis to implement the study. Recruitment of participants began in September 2006. The study remains in the field for 3-1/2 years and a final report is expected in February 2011.

The study will address several research questions, including:

(A) Does providing psychosocial services, drugs and employment services improve the health status and functioning of DI beneficiaries with mental disorders?

(B) Do some subgroups of beneficiaries with mental disorders benefit more than others when treatment is provided?

(C) Is treatment more cost effective for some subgroups of beneficiaries?

(D) If beneficiaries decline to participate, what are the primary reasons?

(E) If treatment is unsuccessful, what are the primary reasons?

(F) What are the characteristics of beneficiaries who significantly increase activity as a result of treatment?

The proportion of SSDI beneficiaries qualifying for benefits due to a mental disorder has been growing. While most forms of mental illness are treatable, many beneficiaries with mental impairments do not receive the treatment and employment support services that could assist individuals with disabilities to sufficiently increase their ability to work.

See the MHTS Catalogue of Community and National Resources.
(6.17 MB pdf)    [Disclaimer]

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