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Enhancing Clients' Communication Regarding Goals for Using Psychiatric Medications.
Patricia E Deegan1, Elizabeth Carpenter-Song1, Robert E Drake1
1Dr. Deegan is with Pat Deegan Ph.D. & Associates, L.L.C., Byfield, Massachusetts (e-mail: pat@patdeegan.com ). Dr. Carpenter-Song is with the Department of Anthropology and Dr. Drake and Mr. Naslund are with the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire. Dr. Luciano is with the Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. Ms. Hutchison is with the Community Care Behavioral Health Organization, Pittsburgh.
Clients with serious mental illness use power statements to communicate medication goals, focusing on symptom control for improved functioning and life pursuits like relationships and self-sufficiency.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Mental Health Services Research
- Health Communication
Background:
- Discordance in medication treatment goals between psychiatric providers and clients hinders person-centered care.
- Clients often struggle to articulate personal goals for psychiatric medication use.
- Power statements offer a novel method for clients to clarify and communicate their treatment objectives.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the power statement method for psychiatric medication treatment goal setting.
- To analyze a sample of power statements to understand clients' goals for medication treatment.
- To assess the utility of power statements in improving communication within psychiatric care.
Main Methods:
- A Web application facilitated the development of power statements by over 17,000 adults with serious mental illness across 69 clinics.
- Database queries identified the proportion of clients utilizing the power statement tool.
- Content analysis was performed on a random sample of 300 power statements to identify client-reported goals.
Main Results:
- 79% of clients developed power statements, indicating high engagement with the tool.
- Clients primarily desired psychiatric medications to manage symptoms, enabling enhanced functioning.
- Key goals included improving relationships (51%), well-being (32%), self-sufficiency (23%), and employment (19%).
Conclusions:
- Individuals with serious mental illness perceive psychiatric medications as tools to achieve meaningful life objectives.
- The power statement method is a practical and scalable approach to enhance client communication regarding medication treatment goals.
- This technique supports person-centered care by aligning treatment with clients' aspirations.