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World J Psychiatr. Sep 22, 2014; 4(3): 49-55
Published online Sep 22, 2014. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v4.i3.49
Published online Sep 22, 2014. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v4.i3.49
Conducting clinical research in community mental health settings: Opportunities and challenges
Oleg V Tcheremissine, Whitney E Rossman, Manuel A Castro, Dineen R Gardner, Department of Psychiatry, Carolinas HealthCare System-Behavioral Health Center, Charlotte, NC 28203, United States
Author contributions: All the authors contributed to this paper.
Correspondence to: Oleg V Tcheremissine, MD, Department of Psychiatry, Carolinas HealthCare System-Behavioral Health Center, 501 Billingsley Road, Charlotte, NC 28203, United States. oleg.tcheremissine@carolinas.org
Telephone: +1-704-4467504 Fax: +1-704-4467505
Received: March 20, 2014
Revised: June 24, 2014
Accepted: June 27, 2014
Published online: September 22, 2014
Revised: June 24, 2014
Accepted: June 27, 2014
Published online: September 22, 2014
Core Tip
Core tip: Development of novel and effective pharmacological agents for the treatment of neuropsychiatric diseases is a long-standing challenge. Despite considerable investments into biomedical research from the pharmaceutical industry, academia and government organizations, the transformation of acquired knowledge from basic science and preclinical areas has been lacking. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) remains the gold standard in drug development. Over the years, concerns have arisen regarding generalizability of RCT results into routine psychiatric care. Extending RCTs to clinical populations from the community mental health setting will support ecological validity and improve treatment outcomes.