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Psychiatric emergencies: the check effect revisited.
1School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley 94720, USA. rayc@uclink4.berkeley.edu
Journal of Health and Social Behavior
|May 20, 1999
Summary
Federal income support for disabilities related to alcohol and drug use was ended in 1997. A study found psychiatric emergencies increased mid-month, but ending these benefits did not reduce this "check effect".
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Psychiatry
- Health Economics
Background:
- Federal income support for individuals with alcohol and drug disabilities was terminated in 1997.
- Concerns existed that benefits were used for substance purchases, potentially causing a
- check effect
- leading to increased psychiatric emergencies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test if psychiatric emergencies peak in the mid-month period following benefit disbursement.
- To determine if ending federal income support reduced this mid-month surge in emergencies.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 35,500 psychiatric emergencies in San Francisco over 1,551 days.
- Examined emergency rates in the 4th through 8th day of the month.
- Compared emergency rates before and after the 1997 termination of specific disability benefits.
Main Results:
- Psychiatric emergencies were significantly elevated during the 4th through 8th day of the month, supporting the existence of a
- check effect
- .
Conclusions:
- A general
- check effect
- , where psychiatric emergencies increase mid-month, is supported.
- The termination of federal income support for alcohol and drug disabilities did not significantly reduce this observed
- check effect
- .