Healthy People 2000 Consortium Meeting
November 7, 1997


Summary of Breakout Group Discussion Concerning
Priority Area 6: Mental Health and Mental Disorders


I. Mental Health Objectives for 2010

A. Comments About Objectives Listed in Healthy People 2000
6.1Keep this objective. Add to special population targets youth ages 10-14 years.
6.2Keep this objective but add another objective that measures the incidence of suicide attempts that do not result in hospitalization.
6.4Some concern was voiced that as individuals with mental illness overcome the stigma of seeking treatment and actually receive services that the number of individuals who report having mental illness will actually increase. The objective as currently written could be interpreted by some as working in cross purposes with case finding initiatives.

However, if the objective is stated clearly as reflecting an epidemiological perspective (measuring community-based prevalence rather than clinic-based prevalence) some felt it would be appropriate.
6.5A concern was raised about the wording of the objective. As individuals begin to understand that stress can adversely affect their health, the number of them responding affirmatively to questions about the effects of stress on health will actually increase. Therefore, several individuals suggested this objective be deleted or rewritten.
6.6No debate. Seemed reasonable to keep unless those more familiar with new knowledge about community programs suggest a revision or addition.
6.7Keep—important to measure access to services
6.8 Keep—important to measure access to services
6.9Need to look at ways to measure it.
6.10Delete. Needs to be rewritten using current information from those who study individuals with mental illness who are in jails.
6.11No Comment
6.12Delete. The target was achieved as reported in the last progress review on 7/9/96.
6.13Suggested that the difficulty of measuring this objective be address by CMHS/NIMH Work Group. Generally the objective is acceptable if it can be measured accurately.
6.14No comment
6.15No comment


B. New Objectives Suggested
  1. Decrease the proportion of children and adolescents who have more than one mental disorder.
  2. Increase the proportion of health care providers (physicians, nurses, etc.) who are trained to recognize depression and refer to a mental health service provider when appropriate.
  3. Increase the proportion of mental health service providers who obtain formal training to provide services to individuals and families who lost a loved one due to suicide. This training can be obtain either in a professional degree program or as part of a continuing education event.
  4. Increase the proportion of the Nation's elementary and secondary schools that have established a multidisciplinary "crisis response team" to deal with an incident of suicide.
  5. Increase the proportion of the Nation's secondary schools that provide formal teacher in-service training on suicide prevention.
  6. 6.)Decrease the proportion of adults who felt they needed mental health care or counseling, but did not get it because they could not afford it.
  7. Decrease the proportion of adults who felt one of their children needed mental health care or counseling, but did not receive it because they could not afford it.
  8. Of the adults who report limitations due to mental or emotional problems, increase the proportion who have seen or talked to a mental health professional about their problems in the past 12 months.
II. Structure of Healthy People 2010

 Recommendations

The structure of the diagram should be alter so that the two major goals (Increasing Years of Healthy Life and Eliminant Health Disparities) are placed as supporting columns to the four enabling goals that continue to be in the shape of a fan.

Under the two columns a long supporting rectangle should be inserted and labeled

"Physical and Mental Health for All".

Several focus areas seem to fit more easily in an enabling goal section not originally assigned. The following is a list of focus areas that the group put under the four enabling goals. The ones that are in bold face indicate a change of position to another goal and possibly a change of wording for the specific focus area. In several focus areas additional subsections were created.

A. Promote Healthy Behaviors B. Protect Health C. Assure Access to Quality Health Care

Health Services (13) Mental Health Services (14) Dental Services (21)(new section related to services)

Maternal, Infant, and Child Health (17)

D. Strengthen Community Prevention and Supports (Note: Special population groups need to be considered as objectives are developed in all focus areas.) The change in wording of several focus areas were made to be consistent with the general concept of the enabling goal. For example, the focus area Violence and Abusive Behavior was changed to Nonviolence and placed under Promote Healthy Behaviors.

Focus area one (Mental and Physical Impairment and Disability) and focus area two (Chronic Diseases) were placed in the Access to Quality Health Care and place under both Health Services (13) and Mental Health Services (14) as separate subsections.

Participants

Gail Ritchie, Facilitator, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Juan Ramos, Recorder, National Institute of Mental Health
Cheryl A. King, American Association of Suicidology
David Mahrer, South Carolina Department of Mental Health
Rose Marano-Geiser, American Art Therapy Association

Breakout Session List