Wellness Self-Management

This study will involve a clinical trial of Living Well (LW), a 12-session, peer co-led, group intervention designed to help veterans with co-occurring Serious Mental Illnesses and Chronic Medical Conditions learn techniques for better health management and ways to live a healthier lifestyle. Key topics that will be discussed are medication side effects, how symptoms of mental illness may affect veterans' ability to manage their medical conditions, effects of substance use on medical and mental health functioning, learning ways to eat healthier and exercise, and how to communicate more effectively with care providers. There will be 3 booster sessions after the 12 sessions, once a month for 3 months.

The comparison condition will be a general Medical Illness Education and Support (MIES) group that will discuss common challenges experienced by those living with a wide range of chronic illnesses and behavioral and lifestyle management techniques that may help veterans to better handle chronic medical conditions that also meets for 12 weeks.