Serious Mental Illness in Post-Acute and Long-Term Care:Building Knowledge, Sharing Care

Post-acute and long-term care facilities are experiencing increases in the percentage of patients who are admitted with serious mental illness (SMI). According to the National Institute of Mental Health, SMI is a mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder that results in functional disability and hinders or negatively impacts engagement in major life activities (NIMH, 2019, https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness). SMI includes psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, and treatment-resistant depression.