Current evidence-based standards and guidelines to determine the effectiveness of pharmacotherapeutic and behavioral interventions in Mental Health According

to Hollon (2002) guidelines broadly refer to pronouncements that support or recommend specific approaches or action and are not mandatory. On the other hand, standards are mandatory and may be accompanied by an enforcement mechanism. Pharmacotherapeutic and behavioral interventions are treatment strategies for the management of psychosocial disorders. Most mental health practitioners use pharmacotherapy, which relieves physical and behavioral symptoms but does not resolve emotional problems, as adjunct to individual or group psychotherapy (Townsend, 2011). The determination of the effectiveness of these interventions is very important because one of the demands in current trends in mental health practice is the need to choose a therapy that has been validated by research to be effective for a clients psychiatric diagnosis. The effort at establishing a scientifically sound basis for mental health interventions is a crucial trend in treatment research and the fundamental question in evaluating the effectiveness of any intervention is whether the beneficial effect of the intervention is backed by scientific evidence. The randomized control trial (RCT) has become the standard for estimating treatment effects (Mohr, 2009). According to Hollon (2002) the term treatment effectiveness or efficacy refers to a valid ascertainment of the effects of a given intervention as compared with an alternative intervention or no treatment in a controlled clinical context. Although, the evaluation of the effectiveness of an intervention usually begins with the healthcare professionals judgments and patients who have experienced the interventions, the best evaluation tool is the use research methodologies that have been refined over many years (Hollon, 2002). For example, based on the Helsinki Psychotherapy Study, there is scientific

evidence that short-term psychodynamic therapy is effective in the management of panic disorder, borderline personality disorder and mood disorders. Again, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), has evidence-based support as treatment for different psychosocial disorders like hypochondriasis and late-life generalized anxiety disorder. It is also very useful in solutionfocused, life coaching group program (Mohr, 2009). Evidence-based practices conclusions have been arrived at after a careful and systematic review of thousands of studies combining new statistical techniques and judgments of expert reviewers. Groups such as the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQH) in the United States and the Cochrane Collaboration have established principles for determining the effectiveness of treatments. These include: (a) randomized clinical trials, which improve the validity of causal conclusions, (b) replication of results in multiple settings, which improves the validity of results for actual practice, (c) consistency of findings, which builds confidence, and (d) ranking of evidence in terms of validity, and clinical confidence, and expert judgments. Examples of evidence-based mental health practices can be found in the Cochrane Library, in reviews commissioned by AHRQ from the Evidence-Based Practice Centers, and in professional associations like the American Psychiatric Associations clinical practice guidelines. One of the most recent reference documents is Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General (Lehman, Goldman, Dixon & Churchill, 2004). In conclusion, it is very important that the guidelines and standards to determine the effectiveness of interventions in mental health are evidenced-based. This will ensure the reduction of uncertainties inherent in subjective judgments alone and also increase confidence in the strength of the data used (Hollon, 2002). However, in the preparation and application of these guidelines and standards, it should be ensured that patients care is enhanced and not impaired.

References Hollon, D. (2002). Criteria for evaluating treatment guidelines. Retrieved from American Psychological Association website: http://www.apa.org/practice/guidelines/evaluating.pdf. Lehman, A. F., Goldman, H. H., Dixon, L. B., & Churchill R. (2004). Evidence-based mental health treatments and services: example to informal public policy. Retrieved from Milbank Memorial Fund website: http://www.milbank.org/reports/2004lehman/2004lehman.html. Mohr, W. K. (2009). Psychiatric-mental health nursing: evidenced-based concepts, skills and practices (7th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Townsend, M. C. (2011). Essentials of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing: concepts of care in evidenced-based practice. (5th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: F. A. Davis Company.