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Mental Health & Substance Use

Mental health and substance use disorders, which co-occur in more than 21 million U.S. adults, exact a large human and economic toll. In addition to the human suffering associated with each, these conditions result in billions of dollars in health care costs and lost productivity each year. They also make it harder for many people to get the health care they need, both due to stigma and other access challenges and disparities that are more common among people living with mental illness or addiction.

That is why for decades, CHR researchers have worked to prevent mental health and substance use disorders and to make treatment more accessible, effective and cost-effective. From our long-standing partnership with KPNW’s Addiction Medicine Department, to our collaboration on the National Institute of Drug Abuse’s Clinical Trials Network, and our many partnerships with collaborative scientists and health care systems around the country, CHR scientists are always looking for ways to improve mental health and health care and, as a result, to reduce the burdens associated with living with a mental health or substance use disorder.

You can learn more about some of our current and recent studies below. In addition to this work, our Evidence Based Practice Center is also active in improving mental health care. Recent systematic reviews they’ve conducted for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force have contributed to improved policies and guidelines for the assessment and treatment of a variety of conditions including anxiety, depression, suicide, and alcohol misuse.

Selected Current Studies

  • The ACT Study, in partnership with colleagues from Yale University and led at CHR by Distinguished Investigator Lynn DeBar, PhD is gathering feedback from 2,250 KPNW and KP Georgia health system members who have experience with long-term opioid therapy for chronic pain. The goal is to use what we learn from our members to improve care and expand treatment options for people with chronic pain.
  • The MICARE Study, co-led by Distinguished Investigator Lynn DeBar, PhD and Katharine Bradley, MD at the KP Washington Health Research Institute, is evaluating a primary care based, nurse-led collaborative care program for people with opioid use disorder (OUD) who also have depression. The goals are to help patients start treatment with medications for OUD and to improve their depression symptoms.
  • STEP-UP, a study led by Distinguished Investigator Frances Lynch, PhD is testing whether a series of brief behavioral therapy sessions offered through primary care can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression for youth ages 8-17, compared to youth referred to community treatment. The goal is to expand access to mental health services for youth, regardless of care setting or insurance status.
  • The GEMS study, being led by VP of Health Research and Distinguished Investigator Jennifer McClure, PhD in collaboration with Jaimee Heffner, PhD from the Fred Hutchison Cancer Center, is testing a new app designed for people who smoke cigarettes but are ambivalent about quitting – that is, they want to quit smoking someday, but not necessarily now. The study will inform how well GEMS helps support people’s goals to change their smoking habits. If effective, the app could expand the resources available to people who are interested in quitting or cutting back on their smoking in the future.

Selected Recent Studies

  • In 2025, Senior Investigator Bobbi Jo Yarborough, PsyD and colleagues found that the Zero Suicide care model significantly reduced suicide attempts in three of four major health systems implementing the model.
  • Yarborough and her team recently completed two studies that focused on improving access to treatment for opioid use disorder, as well as a study on naloxone, a medication that reverses opioid-related overdose.
  • Jennifer McClure, PhD and colleagues from the University of California, Davis and Department of Veterans Affairs recently tested a wellness-based intervention to promote smoking cessation among veterans living with HIV who smoke. Key outcomes shared at the 2026 annual meeting of the Society for Research on Nicotine & Tobacco demonstrated that the personalized phone and text-based intervention increased self-reported smoking abstinence relative to standard care offered through the VA.

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