SAMHSA SMI Grant Featured in AM Sessions

Four sessions at this year’s Annual Meeting will address the interdisciplinary care of people with serious mental illness (SMI). The sessions are part of the Clinical Support System for Serious Mental Illness (CSS-SMI), which is supported by a $14.2 million, five-year grant that APA received from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

The CSS-SMI incorporates education and consultation to expand the base of clinicians—including physicians, nurses, recovery specialists, peer-to-peer specialists, and others—able to provide evidence-based care to individuals with SMI. (SMI typically includes schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder.)

A major component of the program is the dissemination of information using novel technologies. APA will build web and smartphone platforms that will allow virtual consultations with experts and disseminate educational content through the SMI Adviser (www.SMIadviser.org).

“This effort leverages assets that APA can uniquely provide—expert clinical wisdom, the highest-quality educational tools, and cutting-edge digital technology—to achieve goals to which APA is committed, namely, improving the care of people with serious mental illness,” said Tristan Gorrindo, M.D., director of APA’s Division of Education and a deputy medical director. “It’s a multi-year effort involving a lot of moving parts, but its goal is to significantly improve access to care for the millions of individuals with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression who are not currently receiving adequate treatment.”

One session, “Better Care and Evidence-Based Treatment: An Introduction to the Clinical Support System for Serious Mental Illness,” will introduce attendees to SMI Adviser and how they can participate and leverage its resources to care for patients with serious mental illness.

The introductory session will be held Monday, May 20, 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Three other sessions, offered as part of CSS-SMI, address specific aspects of using technology, measurement-based care, and other strategies to improve care for patients:

Patients with SMI are increasingly interested in mental health smartphone apps and are seeking guidance from clinicians about their use. This interactive and step-by-step guided session will provide hands-on learning and skills that clinicians can use to help them make more informed decisions about apps for patients with SMI, download and install apps onto smartphones, and formulate treatment plans that ensure ethical, safe, legal, and effective use of these new digital tools.

Persistent psychosis is common in individuals with schizophrenia and other chronic psychotic disorders. Through the use of measurement-based care and appropriate monitoring, interdisciplinary and team-based treatment of patients with persistent psychosis can improve medication adherence and reduce medication-induced side effects. This session will use a series of clinical cases to discuss treatment approaches, including the use of clozapine. Parameters for monitoring, required lab registry, and outcomes measures will be outlined. Prescribing and side-effect management will be discussed.

Individuals with serious mental illness often have comorbid medical problems, including obesity and diabetes, which can be effectively managed with activity and diet. Typically, however, only a small proportion of patients receive appropriate services. This symposium presents a range of approaches for successful use of services targeting negative health behaviors in patients with SMI. Delivery methods that reach patients outside the clinic including web-based and mobile apps will be presented.

Gorrindo urged APA members to take advantage of the educational offerings. “These sessions offer psychiatrists and mental health professionals attending the Annual Meeting a chance to get acquainted with an exciting new APA initiative and with a cutting-edge innovation in care for people with serious mental illness—leveraging technology and expert consultation to advance recovery.” ■