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A public health news bulletin from the Texas Department of State Health Services Infectious Disease Control Unit


November 5, 2007/Volume 64/No. 8

Health Focus: Mental Health

  • Resiliency and Disease Management for Community Mental Health in Texas
    Resiliency and Disease Management (RDM) was implemented at all DSHS-funded community mental health centers beginning in State Fiscal Year 2005. The goal is to promote the uniform provision of services based on clinical evidence and recognized best practices to advance the recovery of adults with serious mental illness and the resiliency of children with severe emotional disturbance. In this article, the demographic and diagnostic characteristics of adults and children who received RDM are presented. The RDM model is then outlined, and each component reviewed, including assessment, evidence-based levels of care, fidelity, and outcomes. Finally, adherence to clinical guidelines is discussed as a challenge that remains to be addressed so that RDM may give rise to the best possible clinical outcomes for Texans. Descriptive statistics are presented throughout. Read more... (PDF  PDF, 64KB)


  • Transforming Children’s Mental Health Through a System of Care: the Children’s Partnership Story
    The Children’s Partnership leads the Austin/Travis County System of Care initiative. A System of Care is defined as “a comprehensive spectrum of mental health and other necessary services which are organized into a coordinated network to meet the multiple and changing needs of children and their families.” The core values of the System of Care philosophy specify that services should be community-based, child-centered, family-focused, and culturally and linguistically competent. The Children’s Partnership is a broad-based coalition of families, community organizations, and state child, youth and family serving agencies, schools, and mental health providers. It is part of a national and statewide movement coordinating resources to maintain a System of Care in Travis County—a system that works hand-in-hand with families and youth, focusing on the strengths of each child and embracing the values and culture of each family. The Children’s Partnership’s collaborative spirit prevents duplication of services by using one central management structure and efficient care coordination strategies in order to integrate revenue and enable public resources to be utilized to their greatest potential. Read more... (PDF  PDF, 36KB)


  • Current Perspectives on Stress among Latino Adolescents
    Latinos will reach one quarter of the United States population (about 97 million) by the year 2050 and one third of them will be youth under the age of nineteen. The Mexican origin population is the largest of all Latino groups (66.9%), followed by Puerto Ricans (8.6%), Cubans (3.7%) Central and South Americans, (14.3%), and others (6.5%) (Ramirez Roberto R & G Patricia de la Cruz, 2003). These subgroups of Latinos are disproportionately affected by stressful living conditions that are jeopardizing their present and future health. Such conditions include poverty, lack of health insurance, high school drop-out rates, high teenage pregnancy rates, increasing health problems (e.g. obesity), increasing rates of HIV infections, and prevalence of substance abuse and violence. Considering the developmental and cultural changes in the community and the family, segments of the Latino adolescent population experience a complex set of issues, increasing their levels of stress. Researchers and mental health professionals should concede special attention to Latino youth, as they may be both at high risk and the most amenable to prevention and intervention of all populations.  Read more... (PDF  PDF, 111KB)


  • Suicide Trends Among Youths and Young Adults Aged 10--24 Years --- United States, 1990—2004
    Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, September 7, 2007. In 2004, suicide was the third leading cause of death among youths and young adults aged 10--24 years in the United States, accounting for 4,599 deaths (1,2). During 1990--2003, the combined suicide rate for persons aged 10--24 years declined 28.5%, from 9.48 to 6.78 per 100,000 persons (2). However, from 2003 to 2004, the rate increased by 8.0%, from 6.78 to 7.32 (2), the largest single-year increase during 1990--2004. To characterize U.S. trends in suicide among persons aged 10--24 years, CDC analyzed data recorded during 1990--2004, the most recent data available. Results of that analysis indicated that, from 2003 to 2004, suicide rates for three sex-age groups (i.e., females aged 10--14 years and 15--19 years and males aged 15--19 years) departed upward significantly from otherwise declining trends. Results further indicated that suicides both by hanging/suffocation and poisoning among females aged 10--14 years and 15--19 years increased from 2003 to 2004 and were significantly in excess of trends in both groups. The results suggest that increases in suicide and changes in suicidal behavior might have occurred among youths in certain sex-age groups, especially females aged 10--19 years. Closer examination of these trends is warranted at federal and state levels. Where indicated, health authorities and program directors should consider focusing suicide-prevention activities on these groups to help prevent suicide rates from increasing further. Read article...(new window)

DSHS Publication Number E59-12544

Last Updated: Monday, November 05, 2007

Texas Department of State Health Services - Infectious Disease Control Unit
1100 West 49th Street, Suite G301, Mail Code: 1943 - Austin, TX 78756-3199
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