Defense Health Care: Need for More Prescribing Psychologists is not Adequately Justified.

Abstract

The Military Health Services System (MHSS) has more psychiatrists than it needs to meet its current and upcoming readiness requirements, according to our analysis of DoD'S health care needs. Therefore, the MHSS needs no prescribing psychologists nor any other additional mental health care providers authorized to prescribe psychotropic medication. Moreover, DoD does not even account for prescribing psychologists when determining its medical readiness needs. Although DoD met its goal to train psychologists to prescribe drugs, it faced many difficulties in implementing the Psychopharmocology Demonstration Project (PDP). Not all of these were resolved. For example, the MHSS never had a clear vision of the prescribing psychologist's role, did not meet recruitment goals, and repeatedly changed the curriculum. Consequently, ACNP recommended in 1995 that unless these issues were addressed, the PDP should end.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 1997
Accession Number
ADA323715

Entities

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Active Duty
  • Air Force
  • Cognition
  • Congress
  • Cost Effectiveness
  • Cost Estimates
  • Department Of Defense
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Health Care
  • Health Services
  • Medical Personnel
  • Mental Disorders
  • Mental Health
  • National Security
  • Psychology
  • Students
  • Training

Fields of Study

  • Medicine
  • Psychology

Readers

  • Medical or Health Care Field.
  • Strategic Security Studies