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Effective Mental Health Consumer Education: A Preliminary Exploration

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Abstract

People with serious mental illnesses are increasingly becoming more active participants in their treatment and recovery. At times, their participation may be limited by incomplete, unclear, or insufficient information. The authors used a grounded theory approach to look at the unmet informational needs described by consumers. Participants in this study called for materials appropriate to their level of understanding, assistance with interpreting and comprehending information when necessary, and information on policies that affect the treatment they receive. Ultimately, an informed consumer is one empowered to make decisions about the course of his or her recovery and participate meaningfully in the patient–provider relationship.

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Acknowledgements

Funding from the National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health (MH074912) provided support. Portions of this article were presented in a poster session at the American Psychological Association annual meeting, August, 2007. This work was conducted while the first two authors were in the Center for Health and Disability Policy at the Oregon Health Policy Institute and the Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Oregon Health & Science University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, Oregon Health & Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, L475, Portland OR, 97239, USA

    Sarann Bielavitz BA

  2. New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive, Box 100, New York, NY, 10031, USA

    Jennifer Wisdom PhD MPH

  3. Department of Psychiatry, Oregon Health & Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, L475, Portland OR, 97239, USA

    David A. Pollack MD

Authors
  1. Sarann Bielavitz BA
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  2. Jennifer Wisdom PhD MPH
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  3. David A. Pollack MD
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Correspondence to Jennifer Wisdom PhD MPH.

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Bielavitz, S., Wisdom, J. & Pollack, D.A. Effective Mental Health Consumer Education: A Preliminary Exploration. J Behav Health Serv Res 38, 105–113 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-010-9213-z

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