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,” says 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.”
Innovative patient-centered mental health programs developed at KPWHRI include:
- Collaborative care to integrate depression mental health care with general medical care
- Flexible, patient-centered psychotherapy programs organized around peoples’ preferences and values and delivered online or by phone
- Identifying and addressing racial and ethnic disparities in mental health treatment
- Depression programs tailored for people with other health conditions (diabetes, heart disease, obesity)
- Using technology such as the web and secure email for outreach and care coordination
- 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,” Dr. Simon says. “We want ‘learning health care system’ to be more than a slogan.”
Recent publications on Mental Health
Durham ML, La Fond JQ. A search for the missing premise of involuntary therapeutic commitment: effective treatment of the mentally ill. Rutgers Law Review. 1988;40:303-400.
Simon GE. Depression in medical patients. J Gen Intern Med. 1988;3(2):208. PubMed
Durham ML, LaFond JQ. "Thank you, Dr. Stone." A response to Dr. Alan Stone and some further thoughts on the wisdom of broadening the criteria for therapeutic commitment of the mentally ill. Rutgers Law Review. 1988;40(3):865-88.
Von Korff M, Myers L. The primary care physician and psychiatric services. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 1987;9(4):235-40. PubMed
Shapiro S, German PS, Skinner EA, VonKorff M, Turner RW, Klein LE, Teitelbaum ML, Kramer M, Burke JD Jr, Burns BJ. An experiment to change detection and management of mental morbidity in primary care. Med Care. 1987;25(4):327-39. 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 |
 Jennifer B. McClure, PhDDirector, Investigative Science |
 Robert Penfold, PhDSenior Investigator |
 Susan M. Shortreed, PhDSenior Biostatistics Investigator |
 Dori E. Rosenberg, PhD, MPHAssociate Investigator |
 Gwen Lapham, PhD, MPH, MSWAssistant Investigator |
 Jennifer F. Bobb, PhDAssociate Biostatistics Investigator |
 Cara C. Lewis, PhDSenior Investigator |
 Joseph E. Glass, PhD, MSWAssociate Investigator |
 Julie E. Richards, PhD, MPHSenior Collaborative Scientist |
 Paige D. Wartko, PhD, MPHCollaborative Scientist |
 Yates Coley, PhDAssociate Biostatistics Investigator |
 David S. Carrell, PhDAssociate Investigator |
 Abisola Idu, MS, MPHCollaborative Biostatistician I |
 Eric Johnson, MSSenior Collaborative Biostatistician |
 Rod L. Walker, MSSenior Collaborative Biostatistician |
 Robert D. Wellman, MSSenior Collaborative Biostatistician |
 Leah K. Hamilton, PhDSenior Collaborative Scientist |
 Brian D. Williamson, PhDAssistant Biostatistics Investigator |
 Rosemary Meza, PhD, MSCollaborative Scientist |
 Ruben Martinez, PhDCollaborative Scientist |
 Morgan Justice, MACollaborative Scientist |
 Theresa E. Matson, PhD, MPHCollaborative 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
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
Cara Lewis, PhD, co-leads a new center to 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.
News
Examining racial inequity in suicide prediction models
Kaiser Permanente researchers stress need to test how prediction models perform in all racial, ethnic groups.
Healthy findings blog
Mentoring and funding support researcher diversity
Kayne Mettert reflects on lived experience — and his drive to reduce stigma around mental health disorders.
Mental Health
What’s the cost of mental health integration?
Kaiser Permanente Washington shows price may not be a barrier to primary care implementation, Dr. Kai Yeung reports.
healthy findings blog
Why COVID-19 forecasts are hard to make
In predicting disease, some mathematical models are more reliable than others. Dr. Greg Simon explains why.
Healthy Findings Blog
Delivering on the real promise of virtual mental health care
Dr. Gregory Simon tells how telehealth, prompted by COVID-19, shifts care from passive response to active outreach.
mental health
$10 million to expand Mental Health Research Network
NIMH funding will enable the MHRN to conduct larger studies in integrated health systems on topics that matter most.
KPWHRI In the Media
COVID pivot to telepsychiatry offers new view into patients’ lives
Medscape, Feb. 12, 2021
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