Date of Award

Spring 3-7-2007

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Public Administration (MPA)

Abstract

Public mental health systems widely endorse the value of mental health consumer and family directed services and attempt to incorporate the ideas of mental health consumers (clients) and family members of consumers in system level policy and planning activities. Inclusion of consumers and family members on planning committees and related activities is a common strategy for representation. The stigma of mental illness is enormous and successful engagement of people who have mental illness in treatment is one of the greatest challenges of mental health systems. It is no less challenging to engage mental health consumers and family members to participate in planning activities to improve mental health systems.

This study examines the predictors of consumer and family member participation in public mental health policy and planning activities. Through a comparison of anonymous survey responses from participating and non-participating mental health consumers and family members in the San Mateo County, California public mental health system, the study evaluates the hypothesis that mental health clients and family members will be more likely to participate if certain strategies and supports are used to engage and sustain them.

San Mateo County Mental Health Services and other California counties have employed many of these strategies to improve the participation of mental health consumers and family members in mental health planning and other activities. Understanding which of these strategies is the most effective is important for public mental health policy makers who aim to improve mental health service systems, so they truly operate in collaboration with mental health consumers and family members.

The study found that consumer and family member participants are more altruistic and interested in helping their community than they are concerned about their own self-interest. Helping someone they know is more important than payment for their participation, transportation, and food, although these items remain critical for some participants. Consumer and family member participants are drawn to activities organized and led by consumers and activities in which there are many other consumer and family member participants. The study findings also suggested that participants tend to have more confidence than non-participants, including feeling that one's ideas and suggestions will be taken seriously; feeling that one has something to contribute; and interest in meeting new people and learning new things. Consumer respondents were more interested in activities that contained information, education, and advocacy elements, while family member participants were also strongly interested in feedback about the quality and effectiveness of services.

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