Library of Resources for Mental Health

Twenty-five percent of all U.S. adults have a mental illness, and nearly 50 percent of U.S. adults will develop at least one mental illness during their lifetime.¹ The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that by the year 2020, depression—the most common mental health disorder—will be the second leading cause of disability throughout the world, trailing only ischemic heart disease.²

• Resources for Clinicians
• Resources for Patients

Resources for Clinicians

Comparative Effectiveness Reviews:

• Child and Adolescent Exposure to Trauma: Comparative Effectiveness of Interventions Addressing Trauma Other Than Maltreatment or Family Violence
• Child Exposure to Trauma: Comparative Effectiveness of Interventions Addressing Maltreatment
• Closing the Quality Gap Series: Medication Adherence Interventions: Comparative Effectiveness
• Efficacy and Safety of Screening for Postpartum Depression
• First- and Second-Generation Antipsychotics for Children and Young Adults
• First-Generation Versus Second-Generation Antipsychotics in Adults: Comparative Effectiveness
• Interventions for Adult Offenders With Serious Mental Illness
• Interventions for the Prevention of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Adults After Exposure to Psychological Trauma
• Interventions To Improve Cardiovascular Risk Factors in People With Serious Mental Illness
• Multidisciplinary Postacute Rehabilitation for Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injury in Adults
• Nonpharmacologic Interventions for Treatment-Resistant Depression in Adults
• Off-Label Use of Atypical Antipsychotics: An Update
• Practice-Based Interventions Addressing Concomitant Depression and Chronic Medical Conditions in the Primary Care Setting
• Psychological and Pharmacological Treatments for Adults With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Screening, Behavioral Counseling, and Pharmacologic Interventions in Primary Care to Reduce Unhealthy Alcohol Use
• Second-Generation Antidepressants in the Pharmacologic Treatment of Adult Depression: An Update of the 2007 Comparative Effectiveness Review
• Treatment for Depression After Unsatisfactory Response to SSRIs

Other Research Reports:

• Addressing Knowledge Gaps in the Treatment of Depression
• Comparative Safety of Conventional and Atypical Antipsychotic Medications: Risk of Death in British Columbia Seniors

Clinician Research Summaries:

• Depression After Traumatic Brain Injury
• First- and Second-Generation Antipsychotics for Children: Comparative Effectiveness
• First-Generation Versus Second-Generation Antipsychotics in Adults: Comparative Effectiveness
• Nonpharmacologic Interventions for Treatment-Resistant Depression in Adults
• Off-Label Use of Atypical Antipsychotics: An Update
• Second-Generation Antidepressants for Treating Adult Depression: An Update
• Treatment for Depression After Unsatisfactory Response to SSRIs in Adults and Adolescents

CME/CE Activities:

• Applying AHRQ's Comparative Effectiveness Research in Nonpharmacological Treatment of Depression and Discussion in Military Settings
• Comparative Effectiveness Review of Screening, Behavioral Counseling, and Referral in Primary Care to Reduce Alcohol Misuse
• Comparing Pharmacologic, Behavioral, and Psychosocial Interventions for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Children
• First- and Second-Generation Antipsychotics for Children and Young Adults
• First-Generation Versus Second-Generation Antipsychotics in Adults: Comparative Effectiveness
• Interventions for Adolescents and Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Nonpharmacologic Interventions for Treatment-Resistant Depression in Adults 
• Off-Label Use of Atypical Antipsychotics: An Update 
• Second-Generation Antidepressants for Treating Adult Depression—An Update 
• Summary of Screening, Behavioral Counseling, and Referral in Primary Care to Reduce Alcohol Misuse
• Summary of the Comparative Effectiveness Review on Off-label Use of Atypical Antipsychotics
• Traumatic Brain Injury and Depression 
• Treatment for Depression After Unsatisfactory Response to SSRIs in Adults and Adolescents
• Updates on the Comparative Effectiveness of Second-Generation Antidepressants in the Pharmacologic Treatment of Adult Depression: A Feedback-Based Learning Activity

Slide Library:

• First- and Second-Generation Antipsychotics for Children and Young Adults
• First-Generation Versus Second-Generation Antipsychotics in Adults: Comparative Effectiveness
• Nonpharmacologic Interventions for Treatment-Resistant Depression in Adults
• Off-Label Use of Atypical Antipsychotics: An Update
• Second-Generation Antidepressants for Treating Adult Depression—An Update
• Traumatic Brain Injury and Depression
• Treatment for Depression After Unsatisfactory Response to SSRIs in Adults and Adolescents

Podcasts:

• Mental Disorders are the Most Expensive Children's Medical Condition
• Mental Health Hospitalizations
• New Guide on Atypical Anti-psychotics for Providers and Policy Makers
• Screening for Clinical Depression in Teens
• Second-generation Medications to Treat Depression Have Similar Levels of Effectiveness but Different Side Effects

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Resources for Patients

Patient Treatment Summaries:

• Antipsychotic Medicines for Children and Teens: A Review of the Research for Parents and Caregivers (En Español)
• Antipsychotic Medicines for Treating Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder: A Review of the Research for Adults and Caregivers
• Depression After Brain Injury: A Guide for Patients and Their Caregivers (En Español)
• Medicines for Treating Depression: A Review of the Research for Adults (En Español)
• Medicines for Treating Mental Health Conditions: A Review of the Research for Adults and Caregivers (En Español)
• Therapies for Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Review of the Research (En Español)
• Treatment Options When Your SSRI Antidepressant Is Not Working Well

Podcasts:

English

• Comparing Antidepressant Medicines
• Depression after a Traumatic Brain Injury
• Medicines for Treating Mental Health
• Tough Guy Mentality and Depression
• Treatment-Resistant Depression

Spanish

• Antidepresivos para tratar la depresión
• Comparación de medicamentos antidepresivos
• Depresión después de una lesión cerebral
• El tratamiento de la depresión sin medicamentos

Advice Columns:

• Comparing Medical Treatments for Antidepressants

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AHRQ's Effective Health Care Program is a leading resource for evidence-based, comparative effectiveness research on heart disease. AHRQ is providing this library of resources for health professionals and patients to help them compare and discuss treatment options in order to make more informed decisions and improve the quality of their health care. These resources are the latest in a series of AHRQ's growing library of free English- and Spanish-language publications that review the scientific evidence on various health conditions so patients and clinicians can work together to learn more about the benefits and risks of different treatment options.

These free AHRQ resources can be downloaded from this site or ordered by contacting the AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse at AHRQPubs@ahrq.hhs.gov or at 1-800-358-9295. When ordering, use the publication number and the code AHRQ C-01, which will expedite the ordering process.

1. U.S. Adult Mental Illness Surveillance Report. September 2011. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA. www.cdc.gov/Features/MentalHealthSurveillance/
2. Mental Health Basics. July 2011. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA. www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/basics.htm