Mental illness has a catastrophic impact on the family, subjecting its members to severe burden and life stress. In addition, families are often implicated in the origins of the illness by themselves, society, and mental health professionals. New alliances with clinicians are helping to support and destigmatize these families. (AF)

This article outlines problems associated with large mental hospitals, describes how knowledge gained from these problems can be used to create alternative treatment programs, and introduces the papers in this special issue on community-based treatment programs for individuals with developmental disabilities. (JDD)

This study assessed internships associated with health education professional programs in the U.S. This study updates findings from an earlier survey published in 1990. Using the 2003 "AJHE" directory of institutions, 255 health education professional preparation programs were identified. Two hundred and eleven institutions had a health…

Prepared for the mental health professional or administrator who is involved in the planning, developing, or implementation of an automated information system in a mental health environment, this guide is limited to the electronic processing and storage of information for management and clinical functions. Management application areas include…

The monograph addresses the need in the United States for greater numbers of gerontology programs and education in the health care of, and human services for, an aging society. Statistical information is provided concerning the aging of America within the U.S. and the 15 Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) states as well as the aging of…

Companies are promoting employee leadership and decision making in their worksite wellness programs for the following reasons: to make the best use of limited resources, to increase programs' chances for success by fostering employee ownership of program plans, to help integrate positive health and safety features into workplace policies and…

Summaries are presented of more than 60 key federal laws pertaining to the legal rights and benefits available to persons with disabilities. The laws are organized into general subject areas, including: education, employment, health, housing, income maintenance, nutrition, rights, social services, transportation, and vocational rehabilitation. The…

There are a number of advantages to including child and family therapy services in a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO). Because the concept of the HMO is based on a holistic systems-oriented model, it can utilize short-term, structured, and strategic interventions without the burdens of autocratic forms of psychological assessment, large…

Psychologists' roles are changing and expanding in many ways. In the next decade, psychologists will probably continue their involvement away from the clinic and into the community. Deinstitutionalization should create many new opportunities for psychologists, particularly in the areas of community support system coordination and service…

One out of every seven people has some form of mental or emotional illness ranging from mild to severe. Fewer than one-third of those needing professional care treatment for their mental and emotional problems are receiving it. Some of the symptoms of psychosis are that the person lives in an imaginary world, hears voices, believes everyone is out…

Issues in the development of community health education programs for rural areas include: (1) knowledge of disease processes; (2) health care intervention; (3) systems intervention; (4) ethics for change; and (5) program implementation. (JN)

Clinicans promoted to middle management positions have a good deal of difficulty coping with the use of power and with a variety of other unfamiliar and uncomfortable dilemmas. Among the most difficult of these is their responsibility for supervising the work of the professional staff. (Author)

To positively affect psychiatrically disabled clients, rehabilitation practitioners require the ability to diagnose and increase client skills, to maintain one's personal effectiveness, and to coordinate one's efforts with the other persons involved in the comprehensive rehabilitation effort. Training programs need to be comprehensive and…

Various concepts of culture related to ethnicity, language use, values, material goods, and rituals have influenced development of culturally competent mental health programs. Describes how understanding of culture's complexity influences assessment of Hispanic clients at three inpatient bilingual/bicultural psychiatric programs in New York City.…

The quality of health services is a subject of increasing interest to health care providers and organizations responsible for financing and promoting health services. This paper utilizes family planning programs to explore issues of the quality of health services. Reviews the literature on quality of services and identifies the gaps in research…