PHS Pacificare Hlth Sys

Data Show Monitoring Patients During Depression Treatment Helps Clinicians Identify and Treat Co-Existing Problems That Affect Results SANTA ANA, Calif., Sept. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Brief patient self-report questionnaires help behavioral health professionals see the relationship between depression treatment and substance abuse, according to data that will be presented by Edward Jones, Ph.D., PacifiCare Behavioral Health (PBH) vice president and chief clinical officer, at the 10th Annual Disease Management Congress in Orlando, Fla., at 1:40 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 23. New data from PBH involving 14,923 patients revealed that more than 11 percent of adults and 17 percent of adolescents diagnosed with depression reported substance-abuse problems on a patient-completed outcome questionnaire. However, in 70 percent of these cases, the therapist's assessment was that no substance abuse problem existed. The data also revealed that 40 percent of patients who reported substance abuse problems showed no improvement on the substance-abuse items over the course of treatment, and at the same time, they showed virtually no improvement on other depression-related symptoms. However, for the 60 percent of patients that did report improvement on the substance-abuse items, the outcome for depression was very good. In fact, patients reporting a reduction in substance abuse showed greater improvement on depression and daily functioning than the average patient treated for depression. This was true for adults and adolescents. The implications of the data suggest that unless substance abuse is identified and treated by a clinician, a successful outcome for depression will be difficult to achieve. "If vital information like co-existing substance abuse is not identified by a clinician providing treatment for depression, a patient's chance of recovery is significantly reduced," said Dr. Jones. "An outcome-informed model for behavioral health helps clinicians see how their patients are responding to treatment so that modifications to the treatment plan can be made in a timely manner." An outcome-informed approach to treatment allows a practitioner to monitor a patient's response to treatment as it occurs. As a result, a practitioner can identify problems that might not be revealed during an initial assessment, track ongoing progress and adjust treatment if needed. Clinicians who solely rely on evidence-based practices, fitting a treatment to a specific disease, may not identify a substance abuse problem during a routine assessment. Consequently, if substance abuse is not identified, the treatment for depression may not be successful. The depression sample consisted of 85 percent adults and 15 percent minors. The sample included episodes of care between Jan. 1, 1999, and Sept. 30, 2004. The patient self-report tool used to gather data was PBH's Life Status Questionnaire (LSQ), a 30-question instrument for adults, and a similar tool for young children and adolescents, called the Y/LSQ. At least two Y/LSQs were completed during treatment, with no more than 180 days lapsing between any two questionnaires. The Y/LSQ is part of PBH's innovative ALERT system, an outcomes-management system that provides real-time treatment guidance for approximately five million PBH members nationwide. About PacifiCare Behavioral Health PacifiCare Behavioral Health (PBH) provides mental health, chemical dependency and employee assistance services to covered members and maintains a national network of behavioral health care practitioners. All PBH Service Centers hold three-year, Full Accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), the most comprehensive and rigorous accrediting body for managed behavioral health care organizations. PacifiCare Behavioral Health is a wholly owned subsidiary of PacifiCare Health Systems Inc. (NYSE:PHS), with clients including health plans, union trust funds, employers, school districts and public sector agencies. More information on PacifiCare Behavioral Health can be obtained at http://www.pbhi.com/. About PacifiCare Health Systems PacifiCare Health Systems is one of the nation's largest consumer health organizations with nearly 3.3 million health plan members and approximately 11.3 million specialty plan members nationwide. PacifiCare offers individuals, employers and Medicare beneficiaries a variety of consumer-driven health care and life insurance products. Specialty plan operations include behavioral health, dental and vision, and complete pharmacy benefit management through its wholly owned subsidiary, Prescription Solutions. More information on PacifiCare Health Systems is available at http://www.pacificare.com/. Contacts: Brad Lotterman, PacifiCare Behavioral Health (714) 445-0453/714-227-2958 (cell), Dan Miller, PacifiCare Health Systems (714) 226-3726, DATASOURCE: PacifiCare Behavioral Health CONTACT: Brad Lotterman of PacifiCare Behavioral Health, +1-714-445-0453, or cell, +1-714-227-2958, ; or Dan Miller of PacifiCare Health Systems, +1-714-226-3726, Web site: http://www.pacificare.com/ http://www.pbhi.com/

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