The Effectiveness of Mental Health Treatment
Research has demonstrated that, for most individuals suffering from diagnosed mental disorders, treatment can significantly reduce disability and impairment, and a basic principal of current treatment approaches is a commitment to the idea that individuals can change and that long-term recovery is the goal of treatment. The principles of quality care, as accepted by the mental health community today, include:
- Consumer centeredness—respecting the individuality of the person receiving mental health services, inviting input from that person and offering choices;
- Individual treatment planning—built upon the understanding that not all individuals with behavioral health concerns are alike, but that treatment must be tailored to the individual;
- Recovery is possible and is the goal of all treatment;
- Cultural competency—respecting the differences among subgroups in the population; and
- A commitment to evidence-based practice—using the treatment approaches that have been shown, by empirical research, to be effective in reducing disability and impairment and bringing about recovery.