Mental health services research issues in the Veterans Administration

In 1975 the Veterans Administration treated 351,000 veterans in psychiatric inpatient services and had 2.7 million psychiatric outpatient visits and 10% of all psychiatric beds in the United States. The VA has led the nation in a shift toward outpatient treatment of psychiatric disorders. The VA patient population differs from the rest of the country in that VA psychiatric patients have a higher incidence of psychoses and organic brain syndrome as well as being older, being predominantly male, and having a higher rate of chronic disorders. Mental health services research directed toward the VA medical care system falls into two major categories: utilization and patterns of care, and quality and effectiveness of care. Several possible avenues of research are offered in each of these two major areas.