Report: Providing assisted outpatient treatment for people with severe mental illnesses works

From BusinessWire:

ARLINGTON, Va.-- New York’s Kendra’s Law to provide assisted outpatient treatment for people with severe mental illness is effective in a wide-range of measures, and provides long-lasting benefits the longer someone with a mental illness is in the program, a comprehensive independent evaluation conducted for the state by Duke University Medical School finds.

“The clear fact is that Kendra’s Law is an effective mechanism to engage people with the most severe forms of mental illness in outpatient treatment,” said Rosanna Esposito, Interim Acting Executive Director of the Treatment Advocacy Center. “Kendra’s Law reduces hospitalizations, arrests, substance abuse and other negative consequences of mental illness, while it greatly increases treatment. The law is working just as intended; to increase treatment and to keep people safer.”

Kendra’s Law was enacted in 1999 after Kendra Webdale was tragically pushed to her death in front of an oncoming New York City subway train by a man with an untreated mental illness. The incident galvanized the mental health community and state lawmakers to develop a better way to provide outpatient treatment to people with severe mental illnesses who have had multiple hospitalizations or violence due to noncompliance with medication.

Key findings of the report include:

-- Hospitalizations were reduced by more than one-half among people receiving 12 months or more of assisted outpatient treatment.
-- The likelihood of arrest in any given month was reduced from 3.7 to 1.9 percent for AOT participants as compared to before they were in the program.
-- Suicide or other attempts of people on assisted outpatient treatment to harm themselves decreased by more than half;
-- Nonadherence to medications among participants decreased from 47% to 33% after six months of AOT.

The 107-page study also indicates the positive outcome of assisted outpatient treatment extends after the person is taken off the order, with the largest long-term improvement coming from people in AOT for 12 months or longer.

“This independent evaluation proves that Kendra’s Law works and should be made permanent in New York. It is a model to be replicated in other states,” Esposito said.

Last month, New Jersey passed a similar bill and it is awaiting signature by Gov. Jon Corzine.