This document provides an overview of essential information necessary for understanding mental health and substance use disorder parity and how to implement and comply with federal parity laws. This guide applies to parity laws in employer-sponsored health plans and group and individual insurance.

There are protections in federal law, collectively known as “parity,” which are designed to ensure that certain types of health plans cover mental and substance use disorders no less generously than they cover other health issues. This resource can guide you to helpful materials and places.

This brochure gives an overview of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008. It lists some of the common limits placed on mental health and substance use disorder benefits and services.

This guide provides mental health decision-makers (e.g., state/local mental health directors, treatment facility clinical directors, and other stakeholders) with rationale and evidence to support wide-spread expansion of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Psychosis (CBTp) across mental health systems.

This guide helps local systems use data to implement Crisis Intervention Team programs that can improve the safety and effectiveness of law enforcement response to people experiencing behavioral health crises. It provides information about building necessary partnerships, documenting program activities, identifying key metrics, establishing data collection processes, analyzing and reporting data, using data to improve programs, and expanding capacity to collect and use data. The guide is a companion to Practice Guidelines: Core Elements in Responding to Mental Health Crises.

This handbook outlines key roles and responsibilities and explains procedures for post-award activities, changes, and the continuation application processes. It also includes helpful reference materials such as an acronym chart, a glossary, and helpful Web links.

Esta hoja informativa se puede usar como una guía para las personas que buscan tratamiento de salud mental. Ofrece tres pasos necesarios para llevar a cabo antes de utilizar un centro de tratamiento, así como las cinco señales de un centro de tratamiento de calidad, que incluye revisar la acreditación, la medicación, las prácticas basadas en la evidencia, el papel de las familias y las redes de apoyo.

This fact sheet serves as a guide for individuals seeking behavioral health treatment. It provides three necessary steps to complete prior to utilizing a treatment center and the five signs of a quality treatment center, which include a review of the accreditation, medication, evidence-based practices, position on the role of families, and support networks.

This report is an assessment of the implementation of the revised 2012 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention. The report attempts to provide a snapshot of recent efforts to implement the goals and objectives of the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and makes suggestions for increasing the effectiveness of these implementation efforts.

This report shines the spotlight on the critical issues and services for Americans with serious mental illnesses (SMI) and serious emotional disturbances (SED), and the importance of concerted efforts by the federal government to address their needs.  The report presents the current status of federal activities and a summary of advances in the care and treatment of people with SMI and SED.  The report describes key advances in research and strategies to improve services to these individuals based on presentations given by the Interdepartmental Serious Mental Illness Coordinating Committee (ISMICC) members at the first ISMICC meeting.