Mental Health
“We aim to be a real learning mental health care system, answering the practical questions that patients, families, and mental health clinicians care about.”
Greg Simon, MD, MPH
Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute Senior Investigator
Research overview
Mental health is a vital part of overall health. But traditional mental health care reaches only a fraction of the millions who could benefit. So, researchers at Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (KPWHRI) are finding practical, patient-centered ways to reach people affected by conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety.
“Many of the ideas that are changing American mental health care were first tested here at Kaiser Permanente Washington,” said Gregory Simon, MD, MPH, senior investigator at KPWHRI and a Kaiser Permanente Washington psychiatrist. “We’re now working to spread those innovations to large health systems across the country.”
Some of the mental health research group’s current projects include:
- Conducting research to optimize firearm suicide prevention in health care
- Developing methods to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in suicide risk prediction
- Expanding a program to reduce the burden for caregivers of patients with a dementia diagnosis
- Testing an intervention to guide earlier access to services for youth with symptoms or concerns related to their mental health
- Reducing suicide attempts among high-risk teens and young adults
- Testing interventions for variables associated with dementia risk, such as depression and social isolation, in elderly patients
- Developing a model to predict risk of a psychosis spectrum disorder diagnosis
- Improving tailoring of depression care using customized clinical decision support
- Studying how peer support is being used to support youth mental health
Innovative patient-centered mental health programs developed at KPWHRI include:
- Using collaborative care to integrate depression mental health care with general medical care
- Developing flexible, patient-centered psychotherapy programs organized around people’s preferences and values and delivered online or by phone
- Identifying and addressing racial and ethnic disparities in mental health treatment
- Tailoring depression programs for people with other health conditions (diabetes, heart disease, obesity)
- Using technology such as the web and secure email for outreach and care coordination
- Facilitating earlier identification of people at risk for self-harm or suicide attempts
- Improving physical health in people with severe mental health problems
- Combining peer support with professional treatment for mood disorders
- Broadening the focus of mental health treatment from symptom management to recovery
- Activating mental health patients to be more knowledgeable and assertive
- Reducing use of high-risk medications in both children and older adults
- Collaborating with health systems through the national Mental Health Research Network to systematically measure and improve outcomes of care
“We are partnering with health care leaders at Kaiser Permanente Washington and other health systems to test innovative programs and implement treatments that work,” Simon said. “We want ‘learning health care system’ to be more than a slogan.”
Recent publications on Mental Health
Lambert JC, Ibrahim-Verbaas CA, Harold D, Naj AC, Sims R, Bellenguez C, Jun G, Destefano AL, Bis JC, Beecham GW, Grenier-Boley B, Russo G, Thornton-Wells TA, Jones N, Smith AV, Chouraki V, Thomas C, Ikram MA, Zelenika D, Vardarajan BN, Kamatani Y, Lin CF, Gerrish A, Schmidt H, Kunkle B, Dunstan ML, Ruiz A, Bihoreau MT, Choi SH, Reitz C, Pasquier F, Hollingworth P, Ramirez A, Hanon O, Fitzpatrick AL, Buxbaum JD, Campion D, Crane PK, Baldwin C, Becker T, Gudnason V, Cruchaga C, Craig D, Amin N, Berr C, Lopez OL, De Jager PL, Deramecourt V, Johnston JA, Evans D, Lovestone S, Letenneur L, Morón FJ, Rubinsztein DC, Eiriksdottir G, Sleegers K, Goate AM, Fiévet N, Huentelman MJ, Gill M, Brown K, Kamboh MI, Keller L, Barberger-Gateau P, McGuinness B, Larson EB, Green R, Myers AJ, Dufouil C, Todd S, Wallon D, Love S, Rogaeva E, Gallacher J, St George-Hyslop P, Clarimon J, Lleo A, Bayer A, Tsuang DW, Yu L, Tsolaki M, Bossù P, Spalletta G, Proitsi P, Collinge J, Sorbi S, Sanchez-Garcia F, Fox NC, Hardy J, Naranjo MC, Bosco P, Clarke R, Brayne C, Galimberti D, Mancuso M, Matthews F; European Alzheimer's Disease Initiative (EADI); Genetic and Environmental Risk in Alzheimer's Disease (GERAD); Alzheimer's Disease Genetic Consortium (ADGC); Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE), Moebus S, Mecocci P, Del Zompo M, Maier W, Hampel H, Pilotto A, Bullido M, Panza F, Caffarra P, Nacmias B, Gilbert JR, Mayhaus M, Lannfelt L, Hakonarson H, Pichler S, Carrasquillo MM, Ingelsson M, Beekly D, Alvarez V, Zou F, Valladares O, Younkin SG, Coto E, Hamilton-Nelson KL, Gu W, Razquin C, Pastor P, Mateo I, Owen MJ, Faber KM, Jonsson PV, Combarros O, O'Donovan MC, Cantwell LB, Soininen H, Blacker D, Mead S, Mosley TH Jr, Bennett DA, Harris TB, Fratiglioni L, Holmes C, de Bruijn RF, Passmore P, Montine TJ, Bettens K, Rotter JI, Brice A, Morgan K, Foroud TM, Kukull WA, Hannequin D, Powell JF, Nalls MA, Ritchie K, Lunetta KL, Kauwe JS, Boerwinkle E, Riemenschneider M, Boada M, Hiltunen M, Martin ER, Schmidt R, Rujescu D, Wang LS, Dartigues JF, Mayeux R, Tzourio C, Hofman A, Nöthen MM, Graff C, Psaty BM, Jones L, Haines JL, Holmans PA, Lathrop M, Pericak-Vance MA, Launer LJ, Farrer LA, van Duijn CM, Van Broeckhoven C, Moskvina V, Seshadri S, Williams J, Schellenberg GD, Amouyel P. Meta-analysis of 74,046 individuals identifies 11 new susceptibility loci for Alzheimer's disease. Nat Genet. 2013 Dec;45(12):1452-8. doi: 10.1038/ng.2802. Epub 2013 Oct 27. PubMed
Gschwind YJ, Kressig RW, LaCroix AZ, Muehlbauer T, Pfenninger B, Granacher U. A best practice fall prevention exercise program to improve balance, strength / power, and psychosocial health in older adults: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. BMC Geriatr. 2013 Oct 9;13:105. doi: 10.1186/1471-2318-13-105. PubMed
Coleman SM, Katon W, Lin E, Von Korff M. Depression and death in diabetes: 10-year follow-up of all-cause and cause-specific mortality in a diabetic cohort. Psychosomatics. 2013 Sep-Oct;54(5):428-36. doi: 10.1016/j.psym.2013.02.015. Epub 2013 Jun 4. PubMed
Li G, Bekris LM, Leong L, Steinbart EJ, Shofer JB, Crane PK, Larson EB, Peskind ER, Bird TD, Yu CE. TOMM40 intron 6 poly-T length, age at onset, and neuropathology of AD in individuals with APOE varepsilon3/varepsilon3. Alzheimers Dement. 2013 Sep;9(5):554-61. doi: 10.1016/j.jalz.2012.06.009. Epub 2012 Nov 22. PubMed
Bonomi AE, Altenburger LE, Walton NL. "Double crap!" Abuse and harmed identity in "Fifty Shades of Grey." J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2013 Sep;22(9):733-44. doi: 10.1089/jwh.2013.4344. Epub 2013 Aug 11. PubMed
Researchers in Mental Health
 Gregory E. Simon, MD, MPHSenior Investigator |
 Ben Balderson, PhDSenior Collaborative Scientist |
 Katharine A. Bradley, MD, MPHSenior Investigator |
 Paula Lozano, MD, MPHSenior Investigator; Director, ACT Center |
 Jennifer B. McClure, PhDDirector, Investigative Science |
 Robert Penfold, PhDSenior Investigator |
 Susan M. Shortreed, PhDSenior Biostatistics Investigator |
 Dori E. Rosenberg, PhD, MPHSenior Investigator |
 Gwen Lapham, PhD, MPH, MSWAssistant Investigator |
 Jennifer F. Bobb, PhDAssociate Biostatistics Investigator |
 Joseph E. Glass, PhD, MSWAssociate Investigator |
 Julie E. Richards, PhD, MPHAssistant Investigator |
 Paige D. Wartko, PhD, MPHSenior Collaborative Scientist |
 Yates Coley, PhDAssociate Biostatistics Investigator |
 Abisola Idu, MS, MPHCollaborative Biostatistician |
 Eric Johnson, MSSenior Collaborative Biostatistician |
 Rod L. Walker, MSPrincipal Collaborative Biostatistician |
 Robert D. Wellman, MSPrincipal Collaborative Biostatistician |
 Leah K. Hamilton, PhDSenior Collaborative Scientist |
 Brian D. Williamson, PhDAssistant Biostatistics Investigator |
 Rosemary Meza, PhD, MSCollaborative Scientist |
 Morgan Justice, MACollaborative Scientist |
 Theresa E. Matson, PhD, MPHCollaborative Scientist |
 Lily N. Shapiro, PhDCollaborative Scientist |
Affiliate researchers in mental health
Paul Crane, MD, MPH
Professor, Internal Medicine
University of Washington
Patrick Heagerty, PhD
Professor and Chair, Department of Biostatistics
University of Washington
Laura P. Richardson, MD, MPH
Adolescent Medicine
Seattle Children's Hospital
Professor, Department of Pediatrics
University of Washington
Noah R. Simon, PhD
Assistant Professor, Biostatistics
University of Washington
Principal Investigator, Therapeutics Development
Seattle Children’s Research Institute
Emily Williams, PhD, MPH
Investigator
Health Services Research & Development
VA Puget Sound Health Care System
Research
Suicide attempts decreased after adding suicide care to primary care
Safety planning and risk screening improved outcomes for adult patients.
Research
A better approach to prevent teen suicide deaths
New grant funds crucial work to test effectiveness of teen suicide prevention in primary care.
Research
Can machine learning help treat depression more effectively?
A new grant funds modeling work to make personalized treatment possible.
Research
Understanding adoption of Lock to Live, a decision aid supporting suicide prevention
KPWHRI research finds ways to increase use of a firearm safety tool.
Research
A medication that can relieve symptoms of psychosis is underused
Study finds that many patients who might benefit from clozapine don’t receive it.
Research
Improving and advancing mental health care
KPWHRI researchers are contributing to better mental health care for people nationwide.
Research
Asking about firearm access can normalize and support dialogue for patients
Findings provide roadmap for addressing barriers and improving suicide prevention.
News
Richards and Nelson earn research awards
Honors from the Health Care Systems Research Network for early career achievements and manuscript of the year
Suicide prevention
‘Do you have access to guns?’ Answers before suicide death
A new study shows an opportunity to better identify patients at risk.
IMPACT Center
Improving mental health care for youth
A new center will support using evidence-based practices in under-resourced settings such as schools.
Research
Addressing the crisis of youth suicide in America
Rob Penfold, PhD, writes about suicide trends in children and adolescents and what researchers are doing about them.
Video
Tools and support for people thinking about suicide
Now Matters Now helps people cope with suicidal thoughts by sharing the strategies of people who have been there.
Suicide prevention
Most mental health patients answer firearm question
Study shows patients will usually answer a question about firearm access, providing key information for suicide prevention.
Virtual screening
Detecting, assessing suicidal ideation during COVID-19
How new processes improved suicide risk identification when mental health visits went virtual.
KPWHRI In the Media
Understanding rise in youth emergency visits for mental health
Rise in suicide-related ED visits among youth raises larger questions around mental health care
STAT News, May 2, 2023
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