A project in Alabama takes a down-to-earth approach in teaching patients to think differently and cope more effectively with chronic pain. It may alleviate depression, too.
Why is this important? Nearly 800,000 Americans receive mechanical ventilation for acute respiratory failure in the intensive care unit (ICU) each year. Afterward, more than 60% of both patients and their family caregivers suffer from psychological distress, such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for longer than a year after discharge. Patients and families told us that they need help with their distress because it worsens their quality of life.
The mortality rate among people with serious mental illness (SMI) is two to three times that of the general population (DeHert et al., 2011), meaning that those with a serious mental illness die, on average, 25 years earlier than those without a SMI (Parks et al., 2006). There is evidence that these deaths are largely attributed to preventable medical conditions, many of which are more common in the SMI population.
Is a Patient Navigation Program More Helpful than a Referral Program for Reducing Depression and Improving Quality of Life among Women Living in Neighborhoods with Few Resources?
Background: Socioeconomically disadvantaged (SD) women are at elevated risk for depression and poor treatment engagement and outcomes. Many use obstetric/gynecology (OB/GYN) practices as their primary resource for physical and mental health care. Yet their depression most often goes unrecognized and unaddressed within OB/GYN, and, when addressed, engagement and outcomes are poor. Patients at the greatest risk include those with multiple biomedical and psychosocial problems, trauma exposure, healthcare barriers, and experiencing a lack of empowerment over one’s own health.
Major depression, plus other chronic illness such as diabetes, coronary heart disease and heart failure is common among low-income, culturally diverse safety net care patients. Unfortunately, many of these patients are uncomfortable about either asking their doctor questions about their illness and treatment options and their illness self-care or informing their doctors about their treatment preferences.
This research project is in progress. PCORI will post the research findings on this page within 90 days after the results are final. What is the research about? Serious mental illness such as depression, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia can make it hard for a person to get the health care they need, and their health problems may not be diagnosed or may get worse.
Inner-city minority groups have reduced access to traditional treatment services for depression; a partnership in Los Angeles expands on existing community resources to improve access to evidence-based services in a community-wide strategy.
This study extends an existing study in Los Angeles that is partnered between academic and community and client stakeholders. The study has the long-term goal of learning collaboratively how to eliminate disparities in outcomes for persons with depression by improving information and services in inner-city communities of color, using two Los Angeles communities as examples.
