(May 27, 2015) Policymakers have another clear signal that passing and implementing assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) programs is a reasonable means of improving outcomes for people with severe mental illness.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) issued a report this month that added the practice, also known as court-ordered outpatient treatment, to a list of programs that would reduce costly psychiatric hospital readmissions.
“These programs improve adherence and outpatient treatment . . . and lead to significantly fewer emergency commitments, hospital admissions as well as a reduction in arrests and violent behavior,” the report said.
As casualties of a failed mental health system, people with serious mental illness cycle through hospitals that often don’t have enough room to treat patients, pushing them back into the community before they are ready.
“The goal is to ensure that individuals with mental illness with a history of repeat hospitalizations participate in community-based mental health services with the ultimate objective of keeping them out of inpatient settings,” the report concluded.
AHRQ’s endorsement adds to the growing list of organizations throwing their weight behind mandatory outpatient treatment.
Earlier this month, SAMHSA added AOT to the National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs (NREPP) after deeming the program an effective way to reduce the negative outcomes associated with untreated severe mental illness.
This impartial assessment adds further weight to the voices of advocates across the country seeking to implement AOT laws to save lives. Far too many communities face tragic outcomes because of a failure to effectively use this common-sense solution to serve those who are most severely mentally-ill.
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