Authors describe their experience in an unusual free clinic in Galveston, Texas, and present implications derived from that experience. (DM)

Premature application of quantitative indicators formerly used for individual assessment and research to bureaucratic decision making can produce side effects that are dysfunctional in nature. In order to illustrate this phenomenon, the author reviews a general literature and utilizes examples form mental health care. (Author/BW)

This paper presents findings of a study that examined the extent to which children's mental health agencies can meet the information needs they consider to be most important and also comply with recommended standards of the Mental Health Statistics Improvement Projects (MHSIP). Three children's data sets representing three different agency…

In simulated decision-making situations in a community mental health center, three types of information were studied and rated: political; cost-benefit, and statistical. Only cost-benefit information was rated as significantly influencing administrators' decisions. (MH)