Addressing Health Care Disparities for People Managing Serious Mental Illness: A Proposed Model and Case Report

There are significant health care disparities for people who manage serious mental illnesses, especially in screening and preventive care. Often symptoms and behaviors associated with anxiety interfere with effective health communication. Fear and avoidance of medical procedures are common barriers to accessing preventive health services. This case report demonstrates a model that effectively empowered a patient who manages a serious mental illness to participate in preventive care. This case illustrates a 4-step, easy to remember model with the acronym “VARI”: (1) Validate the patient’s experience, (2) Acknowledge the patient’s right to make their own decisions, (3) provide a collaborative, individualized Risk assessment for screening and preventive services and (4) provide Integrated mental and medical health care to address treatment-interfering symptoms. In this case example, the model was effective. The need for subsequent research regarding feasibility, safety, generalizability and efficacy of this model for addressing disparities in this population is discussed.