OUTCOMES FOR ADULT CLIENTS (FROM EVALUATING COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES - PRINCIPLE AND PRACTICE, 1977, BY ISABEL DAVIDOFF ET AL - SEE NCJ-52043)

• NCJ Number: 52049
• Author(s): J A CIARLO; C DAVIS
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 24 pages
• Corporate Author: US Dept of Health, Education, and Welfare; US Dept of Health, Education, and Welfare; National Institute of Mental Health
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

FROM STANDARDIZED TESTING, OUTCOME SCORE CHANGES AND MEANS ARE REPORTED FOR EACH OF 8 'MAJOR PROBLEM CATEGORIES' (MPC) FOR THE SECOND AND THIRD QUARTERS OF 1975 FOR CLIENTS AGED 18-65 AT A MENTAL HEALTH CENTER.

Abstract

THE INTENT OF THE QUARTERLY OUTCOME SERIES USED AT THE NORTHWEST DENVER (COLO.) MENTAL HEALTH CENTER IS TO DEPICT THE AVERAGE CONDITION AT 90-DAY FOLLOWUP OF CLIENTS ADMITTED TO TREATMENT IN EACH QUARTER AND TO CALL ATTENTION TO CONTINUING LOW OUTCOME LEVELS AND/OR UNFAVORABLE CHANGES IN OUTCOME LEVELS OVER TIME. THE STANDARD FORMAT USED IN PLOTTING AND INTERPRETING THESE SCORES IS ILLUSTRATED AND EXPLAINED. CLIENTS ARE TESTED WITH THE DENVER COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE. ALL CLIENT GROUP SCORES ARE 'COMMUNITY-STANDARDIZED SCORES,' THUS ENABLING DIRECT COMPARISONS OF CLIENTS WITH TYPICAL COMMUNITY RESIDENTS WHO ARE NOT UNDERGOING TREATMENT FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL DIFFICULTIES. RESULTS ARE INDICATED AND DISCUSSED FOR THE FOLLOWING MPC: ALCOHOL ABUSE; DRUG ABUSE; ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR; SOMATIC COMPLAINTS; DISORGANIZED BEHAVIOR/THINKING; EMOTIONAL DISTRESS; MALADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR; AND PERSONAL AND SOCIAL HANDICAP. WHILE IT IS NOTED THAT THE DATA SHOWN IN THIS REPORT CANNOT DEFINITELY PROVE THAT THE TREATMENT SERVICES DELIVERED TO THESE CLIENT GROUPS WERE AT LEAST PARTIALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SCORES OBTAINED AT FOLLOW-UP, IT IS CONSIDERED NOT UNREASONABLE TO PROCEED ON THAT ASSUMPTION, AS IT PROVIDES THE BASIS FOR THE NEXT CRUCIAL STEP, NAMELY, TO TRY TO IMPROVE CLIENT OUTCOME SCORES BY ANY AND ALL TREATMENT PROGRAM CHANGES WHICH SEEM POTENTIALLY USEFUL. IT IS INDICATED THAT THE CAUSAL RELATION OF TREATMENT TO OUTCOME CAN BE ESTABLISHED BY SUCH CHANGES IF THEY CAUSE A SIGNIFICANT SHIFT IN THE SCORE PATTERN. HOWEVER, IF THEY DO NOT, IT IS BELIEVED THAT THE PROGRAM SHOULD THEN REVERT TO THE LEAST COSTLY AND MOST HUMANE TREATMENT PATTERNS WHICH DO NOT RESULT IN DETERIORATION OF CURRENT OUTCOME LEVELS. THE DATA REVIEWED IN THIS REPORT ARE DEEMED TO REFLECT FAVORABLY UPON CENTER PROGRAMS FOR ADULTS, WITH MAJOR EXCEPTIONS BEING THE RESULTS FROM THE GROUPS FOR DRUG ABUSE AND SOMATIC COMPLAINTS. DATA FROM EACH MPC ARE GRAPHED. (RCB)