Mental Health Services for Serious Mental Illness: Scoping Review of Randomised Controlled Trials
2025

Mental Health Services for Serious Mental Illness: Scoping Review of Randomised Controlled Trials

Sample size: 233 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Pablo Roson Rodriguez, Xiao Chen, Marcelo Arancibia, Eva Madrid, Farhad Shokraneh, Clive E. Adams, Juan Víctor Ariel Franco

Primary Institution: Cochrane Argentina Associate Centre—Instituto Universitario Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires

Hypothesis

This review aims to classify the evidence from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) on mental health services (MHS) for people with serious mental illness (SMI).

Conclusion

The study found a large number of trials investigating the effects of mental health services for people with SMI, but classification was difficult due to poor reporting of intervention characteristics.

Supporting Evidence

  • Most studies were conducted in China (58%), followed by North America (24%) and Europe (11%).
  • Trials were classified into various categories including ambulatory assistance, e-health, and residential services.
  • The mean number of participants in the studies was 174, with a range of 80 to 200.

Takeaway

The researchers looked at many studies about mental health services for people with serious mental illness to see what works best, but it was hard to categorize them because the details were often unclear.

Methodology

The study used a scoping review design to classify and collect data from RCTs of service-level interventions for mental healthcare.

Limitations

The classification of RCTs was challenging due to the complexity of interventions and poor reporting, and there was a lack of studies from low- and middle-income countries.

Participant Demographics

Most studies included adult participants with serious mental illness, with some focusing on specific subpopulations such as first psychotic episodes and homelessness.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1002/nop2.70100

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