A review of mental health interventions in SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices.

OBJECTIVE

This study identified and examined characteristics of mental health interventions listed in a registry of evidence-based behavioral health programs and practices.

METHODS

Data were from the National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (NREPP), which is sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. All mental health interventions posted as of May 2010 were reviewed.

RESULTS

A total of 91 interventions were assessed. Over half (57%) focused on promoting mental health rather than on treating mental illness. The implementation materials and trainings for most interventions (52%) were proprietary. Analysis of NREPP's rated dimensions revealed that quality-of-research scores were significantly lower for interventions with exclusively proprietary materials, whereas readiness-for-dissemination scores were significantly lower for interventions with exclusively publicly available materials.

CONCLUSIONS

NREPP represents a practical tool for organizations seeking to initiate or expand their use of evidence-based services. Periodic studies of listed interventions may help to identify programmatic gaps in NREPP.