Strategic Plan for Documenting Mental Health in NY

A Strategic Plan for Documenting Mental Health in New York State

Summary of Mental Health Documentation Priorities and Goals

Document the experiences of people who receive mental health services.

Document recipient experiences of treatment and therapy
Document recipient experiences related to the social environment, including societal attitudes toward people with psychiatric histories
Document recipient experiences related to the physical environment
Document experiences of particular types of recipients

Document the experiences of family members and others close to people with psychiatric histories.

Document organizations and groups that explicitly address issues for families
Document families’ experiences and perspectives found in records created for other purposes

Document the functions and services of mental health support and advocacy organizations and consumer/survivor/ex-patient groups.

Document advocacy for and critiques of mental health policy, programs, and services, including legislative advocacy, public relations activities, and advocacy and critiques directed at service providers
Document professional, volunteer, peer, and family support activities for people with psychiatric histories

Document the mental health and related services provided by institutions, organizations, and individuals and the training and personal experiences of service providers.

Document the provision of mental health services, including diagnosis, treatments and therapies, social and recreational programs, self-help and peer-to-peer programs, and other services
Document research and professional educational functions that take place in mental health facilities and their impact on the mental health services provided
Document aspects of mental health-related facilities insofar as they pertain to mental health issues
Document roles, responsibilities, training, and experiences of mental health professionals and service providers

Document the policies and legislation that have defined, influenced, and funded mental health services.

Document the initiation, development and implementation of state legislation defining and funding mental health services.
Document the initiation, development and implementation of federal legislation influencing and funding mental health services in New York.
Document the initiation, development, and implementation of local legislation influencing and funding mental health services.
Document relevant state and federal judicial court rulings.
Document stakeholder groups’ efforts to influence and respond to laws, regulations, policies, and procedures.
Document other influences on mental health policy in New York State, such as drug companies, media, law enforcement, and national advocacy organizations.

Document societal attitudes toward mental health issues and people with psychiatric histories.

To document societal attitudes toward mental health issues by collecting records of all kinds that reveal, express, or respond to such attitudes.
To document societal attitudes toward mental health issues by including this topic in descriptions of records collected for other purposes (for example, in describing a collection that documents the development of mental health legislation, note that it contain significant statements referring to or expressing societal attitudes).