WICHE Center for Rural Mental Health Research

Completed Projects

Community-Level Risk Factors for Depression Hospitalizations
In this exploratory analysis, we examined the association between depression hospitalization rates and community-level socio-demographic, economic, and health care system characteristics.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topic: Mental health

Differences In Antipsychotic Medication Prescribing Patterns Between Rural And Urban Prescribers
Second-generation antipsychotics have become the treatment of choice for persons with schizophrenia and other serious mental illnesses. Compared to first generation antipsychotics, many second generation medications reduce symptoms with fewer problematic side-effects and related major health problems. However, one aspect that has seen little empirical attention is how longitudinal trends, benefits, and costs may differ between urban and rural areas.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Mental health, Pharmacy and prescription drugs

Differences in Prescribing Patterns of Psychotropic Medication for Children and Adolescents between Rural and Urban Prescribers
This is an investigation of the extent to which psychotropic medication is prescribed to youth (17 and under) by primary care physicians, psychiatrists, or other prescribers in rural versus urban areas. It will also look at the particular types of medications being prescribed by age, sex, and other demographic variables.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Mental health, Pharmacy and prescription drugs

Differential Effectiveness of Enhanced Depression Treatment for Rural and Urban Primary Care Patients
This project will explore whether rural populations achieve outcomes with depression treatment quality intervention comparable to their urban counterparts, and whether any outcome differences are explained by treatment mediators (e.g., evidence-based care) or psychosocial mediators (e.g., stressful life events and social support). Findings from this study can be used to refine interventions before they are disseminated to rural delivery systems.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topic: Mental health

Distance Learning in Depression for Rural Primary Care Providers
This project will develop effective distance learning methods to train rural PCPs in integrated care models for depression using computer based training as an approach to improving mental health outcomes in rural areas.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Mental health, Technology

Identifying At-Risk Rural Areas for Targeting Enhanced Depression Treatment
This project will identify characteristics of rural areas that are associated with increased risk of depression-related hospitalizations, and will identify high risk rural areas within the U.S. that should be targeted for early adoption of enhanced depression treatment models based on patient need.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topic: Mental health

Identifying At-Risk Rural Areas for Targeting Enhanced Schizophrenia Treatment
The goal of this project is to identify rural areas that should be targeted for early adoption of evidence-based schizophrenia treatment. This project proposes a scientifically-based method to identify counties in greatest need for quality improvement to inform national, regional, and local decision-makers about distributing scarce resources to areas which would most benefit from improved schizophrenia treatment.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topic: Mental health

Identifying Stakeholders to Pay for Enhanced Depression Treatment in Rural Populations
The goal of this project is to identify stakeholders who economically benefit when rural patients receive enhanced depression treatment, which will, in turn, encourage health plans to provide enhanced depression treatment to their rural enrollees without raising premiums.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Health care financing, Mental health

Informing Primary Care Depression Intervention: A Comparison of Hospitalization Rates in Depressed Rural and Urban Patients
The goal in this research was to examine whether or not there is a differential impact of enhanced depression care on patient outcomes in rural versus urban primary care settings and whether differences are mediated by receiving evidence-based care (pharmacotherapy and specialty care counseling).
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Mental health, Physicians

Preventing Hospitalization in Depressed Rural Patients
This project will explore whether depressed rural patients are more likely than their urban counterparts to be hospitalized for depression and other health reasons over the course of two years; explore whether any current rural-urban hospitalization differences are reduced in models which control for previous intensive outpatient specialty care utilization; and explore rural-urban differences in the prevalence and consequences of administrative constraints on intensive outpatient specialty care use.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topic: Mental health

Webcast: What Rural Primary Care Physicians Need to Know about Treating Patients with Mental Health Diagnoses
Training via distance learning technology that promotes collaborative care models in primary care is consistent with federal and state policy recommendations.
Funder: Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
Topics: Frontier health, Mental health, Physicians, Technology