Screening for Mental Illness in Nursing Homes

Preadmission screening and resident review (PASRR) programs may help identify people with serious mental illness, according to recent findings in a new report from SAMHSA's Center for Mental Health Services.

The report is called PASRR Screening for Mental Illness in Nursing Facility Applicants and Residents.

Medicaid regulations require states to maintain a PASRR program to screen nursing facility applicants and residents for mental retardation and serious mental illness in order to ensure that they are placed in the most appropriate setting and have access to specialized mental health services where suitable.

PASRR programs assess, through progressive screening, whether applicants have a mental illness and if the nursing facility is an appropriate placement.

The Level I test screens for potential mental illness. All who test "positive" must receive a more in-depth screen, Level II, which more accurately identifies the mental illness and assesses whether individuals need specialized services and nursing facility level of care.

The report is available from SAMHSA's National Mental Health Information Center. Telephone: 1 (800) 789-2647 or 1 (866) 889-2647 TDD.

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