Evidence-based practices in community mental health: outcome evaluation

In 2003, questions were being raised relating to the lack of evidence-based treatments available in public mental health and whether the use of treatments found effective in research settings would be equally effective in real world situations. In response, one state passed a bill mandating a disease management model of service delivery and the use of evidence-based practices designed to obtain better clinical and functional outcomes, and to maximize the possibility for recovery for adults experiencing a serious mental illness. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the re-engineered public mental health system and report on findings of a longitudinal time-series study of the redesigned community mental health system. Findings of the study suggest using evidence-based practices and following a disease management model of mental health service delivery can be effective in real world settings for adults experiencing serious mental health symptoms and functional impairment.