Group Health psychiatrist Greg Simon has been a driving force in mental health research at Group Health Research Institute (GHRI) since the early 1990s. With a knack for finding effective real-world strategies, he consistently pursues a rigorous and diverse research agenda, helping improve mental health treatment at home and abroad.

Dr. Simon has led several studies showing that simple, relatively inexpensive care management programs can significantly improve the lives of people with mood disorders—both at Group Health and in clinics serving low-income urban patients in developing countries. In 2004, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reported findings from Dr. Simon and colleagues showing that phone-based care management and psychotherapy are effective treatments for depression, in part because they included vigorous outreach to people who may not otherwise seek or follow through with treatment. His research with colleagues in Chile found that organized programs to improve depression treatment had even greater benefit in a disadvantaged urban clinic there than they do in more advanced settings in the United States.

Dr. Simon is especially interested in developing and studying programs that empower patients to become more active partners in their care and to achieve a full, rewarding life—not just a decrease in symptoms and side effects. He frequently partners with the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA), the nation's largest patient-run organization for people living with mental health conditions. He also chairs their scientific advisory board.

Other areas where Dr. Simon has made key contributions include obesity and depression, health plan coverage for antidepressants, the impact of mood disorders in the workplace, and suicide risk. In 2007, he shed new light on speculation that some antidepressant medications increase suicide risk: Dr. Simon's analyses showed that the pattern of suicide attempts after starting antidepressants was the same as the pattern after starting psychotherapy—suggesting that suicide risk has little to do with specific effects of medication.

Dr. Simon's success as a physician scientist is notable. Recognized among the greater Seattle area's best doctors in 2006 and 2007, he has also been thrice honored for his contributions to mental health research and care, with two awards from the American Psychiatric Association and another from the DBSA.

For the National Advisory Mental Health Council, Dr. Simon serves as one of 15 mental health researchers who advise on research priorities and new research directions. The Council advises the secretary of Health and Human Services and the directors of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Institute of Mental Health on all policies and activities relating to the conduct and support of mental health research, research training, and other programs.

Dr. Simon is also editor for the mood disorders section of Current Opinion in Psychiatry and for the Cochrane Collaboration's depression and anxiety review group. He also sits on the editorial board for General Hospital Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine. He has practiced adult psychiatry in Group Health's Behavioral Health Service since 1990 and holds an appointment as a research professor in psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington.

Related information:

• Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)
• National Advisory Mental Health Council
• Cochrane Collaboration

Top

Recent publications

Fishman PA, Ding V, Hubbard R, Ludman EJ, Pabiniak C, Stewart C, Morales L, Simon GE. Impact of deductibles on initiation and continuation of psychotherapy for treatment of depression. Health Serv Res. 2012 Feb 29. doi: 10.1111/j.1475-6773.2012.01388.x. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed

Simon GE. Experience, perception, and depression. Am J Psychiatry. 2012;169(2):109-11. PubMed

Patel V, Weiss HA, Chowkhary N, Naik S, Pednekar S, Chatterjee S, Bhat B, Araya R, King M, Simon G, Verdeli H, Kirkwood BR. Lay health worker led intervention for depressive and anxiety disorders in India: impact on clinical and disability outcomes over 12 months. Br J Psychiatry 2011; 199:459-66. PubMed

Kim SE, Le Blanc AJ, Michalopoulos C, Azocar F, Ludman EJ, Butler DM, Simon GE. Does telephone care management help medicaid beneficiaries with depression? Am J Manag Care. 2011 Oct 1;17(10):e375-82. PubMed

Simon GE. Promoting evidence-based and measurement-based care. Psychiatr Serv. 2011;62(7):701. PubMed

Simon GE, Ralston JD, Savarino J, Pabiniak C, Wentzel C, Operskalski BH. Randomized trial of depression follow-up care by online messaging. J Gen Intern Med. 2011 Jul;26(7):698-704. Epub 2011 Mar 8. PubMed

Simon GE, Ding V, Hubbard R, Fishman P, Ludman E, Morales L, Operskalski B, Savarino J. Early dropout from psychotherapy for depression with group- and network-model therapists. Adm Policy Ment Health. 2011 Jun 28. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed

Simon GE, Arterburn D, Rohde P, Ludman EJ, Linde JA, Operskalski BH, Jeffery RW. Obesity, depression, and health services costs among middle-aged women. J Gen Intern Med. 2011 Nov;26(11):1284-90. Epub 2011 Jun 28. PubMed

Simon GE, Ludman EJ, Goodale L, Dykstra DM, Stone E, Cutsogeorge D, Savarino J, Pabiniak C, Operskalski B. Participation in an online recovery plan program with and without online peer coaching. Psychiatr Serv. 2011 Jun;62(6):666-9. PubMed

Simon G. What little we know about tailoring depression treatment for individual patients. Depress Anxiety. 2011;28(6):435-8. doi: 10.1002/da.20831. Epub 2011 May 26. PubMed

To view more publications, please see Dr. Simon's CV.

Top

 

Site map Contact us ghc.orgJobs

Copyright Group Health Cooperative