With additional funding from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), a new cohort of 40 study subjects will be recruited in the state of Florida to test mental health self-directed care (SDC). SDC is a self-directed model of service delivery in which participants manage a personal budget from which they purchase goods and services, including specific types of mental health care, social supports, and items that allow them to recover their health and emotional wellness and live independently. Investigators are studying the impact of SDC on recovery, mental health status, rehabilitation outcomes, and service costs. Working with Lutheran Services Florida, a public managing entity coordinating mental health care management in northeastern and central Florida, adults with mental health conditions will be recruited into the study and randomly assigned to receive SDC for one year or continue receiving services as usual. Assessments will occur at baseline, 6- and 12-month followup.
This study tests a psychosocial intervention called mental health self-directed care by assessing its impact on recovery, mental health status, rehabilitation outcomes, and service costs in the state of Florida.