Workforce and financing challenges exist, yet opportunities, including among others those made possible by the Affordable Care Act, will continue to strengthen the peer support workforce within behavioral health service delivery systems. (PsycINFO Database Record

Active consumer participation is critical in contemporary mental health care and treatment planning and has been a staple of the field of psychiatric rehabilitation for the last three decades. Providing the opportunity for consumers to chose interventions that fit personal preferences and recovery increase the likelihood that these interventions will enhance personal meaning, satisfaction and quality of life (Improving the Quality of Health Care for Mental and Substance Use Conditions, 2006). Similarly, self-determination and shared decision-making are critical components of recovery. As stated in the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health Final Report, recovery from mental illnesses should be the expectation in mental health care with services and treatments that are consumer and family-driven. Mental health care should be planned and delivered to ensure that consumers and families with children with mental health problems receive real and meaningful choices about treatment options and providers. The purpose of this paper is to explore the value and use of shared decision-making in health and mental health care, briefly examine the advantages and disadvantages of shared decision making and propose next steps in advancing use of shared decision-making in mental health care.

Structured shared decision making in mental health shows promise in supporting service user involvement in critical decision making and provides a process to open all treatment and service decisions to informed and respectful dialogue.

The increasing growth of electricity usage in buildings points out the significant role of residential users in the programs for the efficient control and management of electrical energy. The shaving of consumption peaks in household is becoming an integral part of the national energy strategies to reduce the risk of blackouts and ensure environmental sustainability of new urban context. This paper investigates the use of the paradigm of swarm intelligence to scheduling the operation of household appliances in order to reduce to smooth the variation and reduce the peak-to-average ratio of total electricity demand at home. Simulation results confirm the proposed approach

Considering the growing need for long-term care services and the limited resources available, a consumer-directed option can be a valuable alternative for persons with a diagnosis of mental illness.