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OFFICE OF CLINICAL LEADERSHIP

Best Practice Guidelines

The Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities, in cooperation with the TDMHDD Advisory Panel on Best Practice Guidelines, has developed guidelines for use by psychiatrists, primary care physicians, psychologists, health service providers, nurses, nurse clinicians, physician extenders, social workers and other health care professionals to:

  • Promote high quality of care for adults and children served by Tennessee’s public health system.
  • Aid in identification, evaluation and provisions of effective treatment for persons with severe mental illness and severe emotional disorders
  • Promote continuity of care through establishment of uniform treatment options and the best use of multidisciplinary treatment resources.


Link to Best Practice Guideline for children and adolescents.

Best Practice Guidelines
Behavioral Health Services
For Children and Adolescents

July 2007, Revised April, 2008
This 232-page document covers anxiety disorders; attention deficit disorders; autism spectrum disorders; disruptive disorders (including oppositional defiant and conduct disorders); mood disorders (including depressive and bipolar disorders); schizophrenia; and substance use disorders in children and adolescents. The guidelines further include information on system of care; copies of screening tools; and other resources such as Internet links to fact sheets and brochures. Limited information is also presented on the following disorders: adolescent sex offenders; eating disorders; mental retardation and comorbid psychiatric disorders; and reactive attachment disorders.

In addition to DSM-IV criteria for each disorder, evidence-based practice (EBP) treatment options and bibliotherapy are provided. The document is available in PDF form by clicking on the name above.

Best Practice Guidelines
Adult Behavioral Health Services
July 2002

This 46-page document covers anxiety, bipolar disorders, major depressive disorders, dissociative disorders, schizophrenia and mental retardation and comorbid disorders in adults.

Copyright laws regarding content do not permit us to post these guidelines on our web site. This document is available through community mental health providers and from the department’s Office of the Clinical Leadership at (615) 532-6564.

 

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