Wellness Self-Management

Summary

Veterans with schizophrenia, other serious mental illnesses (SMI), and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are at elevated risk for co-occurring chronic medical conditions resulting in increased risk of disability, high health care spending, reduced quality of life and early mortality. Physical wellness is increasingly recognized as a key component of the VA's commitment to developing recovery-oriented and Veteran-centered mental health treatment. There is also growing recognition of the value of interventions that promote and improve patient self-management of chronic medical conditions. Building on the established efficacy of consumer facilitated medical illness self-management programming used in the general population and two recent adaptations for use with SMI adults in the public health sector (including the investigators' own evaluation of an intervention called Living Well), the investigators propose to complete a randomized controlled effectiveness trial of the Living Well intervention and simultaneously conduct a well specified process evaluation to optimize knowledge accrual regarding important factors that may improve future adoption, implementation and sustainability of the Living Well intervention in the VA system of care.

Conditions

• Mental Illness
• Chronic Medical Illness

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Living Well

This study will involve a clinical trial of Living Well (LW), a 12-session, peer co-led, group intervention designed to help veterans with co-occurring Serious Mental Illnesses and Chronic Medical Conditions learn techniques for better health management and ways to live a healthier lifestyle. Key topics that will be discussed are medication side effects, how symptoms of mental illness may affect veterans' ability to manage their medical conditions, effects of substance use on medical and mental health functioning, learning ways to eat healthier and exercise, and how to communicate more effectively with care providers. There will be 3 booster sessions after the 12 sessions, once a month for 3 months.

BEHAVIORAL

Medical Illness Education & Support Group

The comparison condition will be a general Medical Illness Education and Support (MIES) group that will discuss common challenges experienced by those living with a wide range of chronic illnesses and behavioral and lifestyle management techniques that may help veterans to better handle chronic medical conditions that also meets for 12 weeks.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• VA Office of Research and Development

  lead FED

Principal Investigators

• Richard W Goldberg, PhD · Baltimore VA Medical Center VA Maryland Health Care System, Baltimore, MD

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

80 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2013-10-01

Primary Completion

2016-12-31

Completion

2016-12-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations