The term "Serious Mental Illness" lacks generalizability

Corridor in the Asylum by Vincent Van Gogh

Psychiatric research uses the terms "serious mental illness" and "severe mental illness" (SMI) inconsistently, according to a recent study.

The researchers found that 85% of the 788 articles (published between 2015 and 2019) that they reviewed used SMI but didn't define or describe it consistently.

The findings of this study suggest that when discussing mental illness in research and practice, clinicians, researchers, and policymakers must be clear about the precise definition of SMI.

Without a clear understanding of SMI, there may be confusion about what interventions are required for individuals with mental illnesses and what services should be provided to them.

Researchers and practitioners can track and measure outcomes more accurately and make informed decisions about service provision if they share a common understanding and definition of SMI.

Please take a look at the reference listed below for the article to which I made a small contribution and enjoyed helping with interpreting the results.

Reference: Gonzales, L., Kois, L. E., Chen, C., López-Aybar, L., McCullough, B., & McLaughlin, K. J. (2022). Reliability of the Term "Serious Mental Illness": A Systematic Review. Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.), appips202100661. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.202100661