Lilly's Team Solutions and Solutions for Wellness Resources for Serious Mental Illness Added to SAMHSA's Distinguished National Registry

INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY)  announced today that the Team Solutions and Solutions for Wellness program resources for individuals living with serious mental illnesses, such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, have been added to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (NREPP), an online registry of evidence-based interventions for the prevention and treatment of mental and substance use disorders.ⁱ  SAMHSA, established in 1992, exists to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America's communities.

Team Solutions and Solutions for Wellness are an online library of resources developed by Lilly in collaboration with psychiatric experts - including psychiatrists, nurses and mental health advocacy leaders - to empower people with psychiatric illnesses to make informed decisions about managing both physical and mental health.

Studies have shown that the program improves the well-being of people living with serious mental illness, including improvements in patient Body Mass Index, waist circumference, blood pressureⁱⁱ and knowledge about their illnesses.ⁱⁱⁱ

"We are pleased that these initiatives have been further validated through SAMHSA's distinguished NREPP listing and that more mental health service providers today recognize the critical need for an integrated, whole body approach to patient care," said Robert Baker, M.D., vice president of global medical affairs, Lilly Bio-Medicines. "Since Lilly introduced Team Solutions and Solutions for Wellness in 1997, more than 38,000 healthcare professionals have utilized these resources."

Despite advances in treatment, individuals with serious mental illness die an average of 25 years younger than the overall population. The higher death rate in this population is largely due to preventable health conditions such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, which are often caused by modifiable risk factors such as poor nutrition and lack of exercise.^iv

"In addition to medication, mental health providers need evidence-based, non-pharmacological interventions for providing comprehensive care," said Betty Vreeland, MSN, APN.C from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ)-University Behavioral HealthCare, and a primary author of the resources. "We created these free resources to be easily integrated into almost any behavioral health setting with the ultimate goal of supporting people with mental illness in achieving optimum health and living a full and rewarding life in their community."

About Team Solutions and Solutions for Wellness
Team Solutions is a recovery-based illness and life skill management resource. It consists of 10 workbooks that emphasize knowledge and skills that can help people with serious mental illness better understand their illness, strengthen resilience and partner with their treatment team.

The Solutions for Wellness program incorporates physical health and wellness into the recovery process, including two workbooks that offer information on healthy eating, physical activity and positive lifestyle choices. By turning evidence-based scientific theories into practical and easy-to-use materials, it aims to help reduce many of the modifiable lifestyle factors that contribute to the high morbidity and mortality rates in people with serious mental illness.

Overall, these easy-to-implement workbook materials focus on a whole-person approach to treatment and are centered on the belief that every person with mental illness has the ability to recover.

Team Solutions and Solutions for Wellness resources and training materials are available at no cost to treatment teams at www.treatmentteam.com.

About Eli Lilly and Company
Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a growing portfolio of pharmaceutical products by applying the latest research from its own worldwide laboratories and from collaborations with eminent scientific organizations. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., Lilly provides answers – through medicines and information – for some of the world's most urgent medical needs. Additional information about Lilly is available at www.lilly.com.

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ⁱ About NREPP. Accessed on December 8, 2011 via http://nrepp.samhsa.gov/AboutNREPP.aspx.
ⁱⁱ Vreeland et. al., 2010. Solutions for Wellness: Results of a Manualized Psychoeducational Program for Adults with Psychiatric Disorders. American Journal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation.
ⁱⁱⁱ Vreeland et. al., 2006, Efficacy of the Team Solutions Program for Educating Patients About Illness Management and Treatment, Psychiatric Services.
^iv J. Parks et. al., 2006, Morbidity and Mortality in People with Serious Mental Illness. National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) Medical Directors Council.

Refer to: Morry Smulevitz (Lilly), +1(317) 651-5567, [email protected]

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SOURCE Eli Lilly and Company