ABSTRACT
After a decade of war, there is a great need for treatment and alternatives to incarceration for justice-involved veterans. U.S. military service members are returning from combat with substantial mental health challenges, which increase the potential for justice involvement. Veteran Treatment Courts are starting across the nation to meet this need for therapeutic justice. These problem solving courts provide access to treatment and motivation for engagement. Preliminary evidence from a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration-funded evaluation suggests that significant improvements in posttraumatic stress disorder and substance use are just a few of the positive outcomes that these courts may help veterans achieve.
Subject(s)
Criminals/psychology , Mandatory Programs/organization & administration , Mental Health Services/organization & administration , Military Personnel/psychology , Veterans/psychology , Adult , Brain Injuries/epidemiology , Brain Injuries/psychology , Brain Injuries/therapy , Colorado/epidemiology , Comorbidity , Criminals/statistics & numerical data , Female , Humans , Male , Mandatory Programs/statistics & numerical data , Military Personnel/statistics & numerical data , Pilot Projects , Program Evaluation , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/epidemiology , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/psychology , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/therapy , Substance-Related Disorders/epidemiology , Substance-Related Disorders/psychology , Substance-Related Disorders/therapy , United States/epidemiology , Veterans/statistics & numerical dataABSTRACT
The field test of The Science of Mental Illness curriculum supplement for middle school (grades 6-8) children provided an opportunity to assess knowledge and attitudes about mental illness in more than 1,500 middle school students throughout the United States and to evaluate the impact of an educational intervention on stigma-related attitudes. Two primary questions were examined: (1) what are the baseline knowledge and attitudes about mental illness in this sample of middle school students, and (2) does participation in a curriculum about the science of mental illness increase knowledge and improve attitudes about mental illness? Consistent with findings from other studies, results indicate that students had some understanding of mental illness as a problem of the brain with biological and psychosocial causes; however, they lacked knowledge about treatment and overall were "not sure" about many aspects of mental illness. The students did not strongly endorse negative attitudes about mental illness at baseline. The curriculum produced significant improvements in both knowledge and attitudes at posttest and was most effective in improving attitudes among those with more negative baseline attitudes. These findings suggest that a brief educational program can be an effective intervention to increase knowledge and improve attitudes about mental illness.
