CMHS Consumer Affairs E-News
December 12, Vol. 07-196

New Report Examines Mental Health Self-Directed Care Programs

The final report of the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health identified self-direction as one possible means of creating a more consumer and family-centered mental health system. This U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Assistant Secretary for Policy and Evaluation report describes the range of self-directed care programs for adults with serious mental illness (SMI) currently being pursued by states and brings together existing evidence relating to the impact of these programs on individuals and on state resources.

It is early in the development of self-direction for individuals with SMI and the number of consumers currently served by these programs remains very small. However, the report concludes that self-direction is a promising approach, worthy of further investigation and identifies issues that need to be addressed if self-direction is to successfully expand and make a significant contribution to improving the quality of the public mental health system.

The report is aimed primarily at state and local-level policy-makers and individuals in consumer or other advocacy organizations who are interested in self-direction and want to learn from the experiences of other states in shaping their own approach to self-direction. The report will also be of interest to a broader policy audience interested in improving the quality of mental health services, as well as those interested in self-direction across disability groups.

To view the report, please see: http://aspe.hhs.gov/daltcp/reports/2007/MHslfdir.pdf.

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The Center for Mental Health Services is a component of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, United States Department of Health and Human Services.