The Politics of Financing Evidence-Based Mental Health Treatments
Abstract
<p>Assertive community treatment (ACT) is the most extensively researched psychosocial treatment for people with severe mental illness and a key service program in many public mental health systems. Sandra Johnson’s Assertive Community Treatment: Evidence-Based Practice or Managed Recovery takes an in-depth look at the widespread implementation of ACT in Oklahoma and New York. Unfortunately, the book suffers from a number of serious flaws, and yet it still somehow manages to raise thought-provoking comments and questions about the process by which research-based mental health interventions are disseminated into practice and the motivations of government officials for funding mental health services.</p> <p> Assertive Community Treatment is at its best when describing the political and policy events that influence the decision making of government officials for funding ACT in New York and Oklahoma. Research documenting the effectiveness of ACT had been published for decades, but neither New York nor Oklahoma pursued the statewide development of ACT teams until the early 2000s, after public events, political advocacy, and financial incentives aligned.</p> <p>The precipitating event for the widespread rollout of ACT in New York was considerable publicity and public outcry over the tragic death of a young female journalist who had been pushed